Imagining Tigers
by titanium22
Summary: All I could think about was Brittany. Her blonde hair, held tight in a high ponytail, her blue eyes, mesmerizing and alluring, her perfect body and long legs, her piercings and her tattoos, wondering what they meant, why she was so guarded and what was her story.
1. Chapter 1

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 1:

I stirred from my sleep when I heard my phone ringing. I groaned and rolled to my side to check the time. Who is calling me at 9 on a Sunday?

_Sugar._

I grunted as I sat up, bringing the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I said in my best I-did-not-just-woke-up voice.

"Santana! Hi!" Came the overly cheerful voice.

"Sugar." I acknowledged.

Sugar Motta is the daughter of Crawford Motta, the owner of the law firm I work at. I met the girl almost five years ago when I started my internship at the Motta's after I graduated from NYU. Now I am one of the best young lawyers working at the firm.

"Are you free today?" Sugar asked.

_No._

"Yes. Why?" Was my reply. I really didn't want to leave my apartment today. It was Sunday after all.

"I have this contract for a new shop I saw the other day that I really liked and I was wondering if you could look it over?"

That is Sugar for you. If she sees something she likes she has to buy it. With Daddy's money of course. She might be spoiled but she is a good person and puts up with my grumpy moods. We are not best friends, Quinn is my best friend, but Sugar is my only friend at the firm so I help her whenever I can.

"Sure. Where do you want to meet?" I asked.

"Can you come to my house? A friend is going to come by later."

"Ok. I'll see you soon." I said.

"Bye." She sang.

I hang up the phone and threw myself back on my pillows with a huff while tossing the phone on the other side of my bed. I guess my plans for staying in today are ruined.

An internal battle and several minutes later I managed to get up and go make some coffee. I have to be fully conscious to be able to deal with Sugar and read this contract. I took my mug and went back to my bedroom to get ready. I threw on my jeans and a tank top, finished my coffee and left.

...

I just started reading through the contract and Sugar went to the kitchen to bring me a glass of water. I've been listening to her ranting about a guy named Rory and how much she does _not _like him for an hour. I'm about to turn another page when the front door opens. I wondered who just opens the front door without even knocking.

I glanced up and was met with the most alluring and hypnotizing blue eyes I have ever seen staring back at me. I allowed my eyes to travel down this blonde's body. A purple and blue tattoo of a flower on the right of her chest caught my attention, showing from her off-the-shoulder top. My eyes continued all the way down her body stopping at another tattoo on the outside of her left thigh, some of it hiding under her very short shorts. From what I could see, it was a very impressing and imposing tiger staring back at me with blue eyes, in the background was a jungle. Her gloriously long legs ended at the flip flops she had on.

I looked back up and she was holding her phone and keys on her left hand and a cigarette and a bunch of papers on her right hand. She looked so relaxed but guarded at the same time. I met her eyes and found that she was staring back at me with those blues that you would think they hold the secrets of the world. I felt the need to unravel them. I was about to speak when Sugar came back in the living room.

"Britt!" She whined. She was holding two glasses of water in her hands.

"What?" Asked the blonde. Her voice sounded bored but also sweet and melodic. The fact that I could make this combination freaked me out.

"I told you a thousand times! Don't smoke in my house!" Sugar complained.

"Come on Motta, you know I can't smoke in _my_ house! Cut me some slack." Said the blonde with the same bored but also sweet tone.

"No." Was all Sugar said. One word answer is rare from her so she was probably serious. The blonde seemed to know that as well because she put her things on the small table next to the door and grabbed one of the glasses from Sugar's hand. She drunk almost all the water, leaving just a little bit to throw in her cigarette. Sugar huffed and the blonde just shrugged, handing the glass back to her.

I found myself staring at the blonde mesmerized. Only now I noticed the piercings she had on her face. She had two on each ear and one on her right tragus, a ring on the left of her nose and a stud under her bottom lip. It was weird that I was not grossed out from this tattooed woman but I was captivated instead. I must stared to her pink lips for a long time because they were moving and I couldn't concentrate to hear a thing.

"…the last time. If he wants to graduate he better start studying Motta. He can't keep doing this and you can't keep helping him." The blonde said sternly. I wondered what they were talking about.

"Well technically, _you _are helping him, not me." Sugar smirked.

"Whatever." The blonde replied and gave the papers to Sugar. Then she turned and looked at me.

I shifted uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze until Sugar spoke up again.

"Oh Santana I'm sorry. This is Brittany, my best friend." Brittany rolled her eyes at this."Brittany, this is Santana."Sugar finished, gesturing at me with a smile.

"Hi." I said. She just nodded and then looked at the contract in my hands.

"Santana what?" She asked then. I was momentarily unable to think, my name rolling off of those lips was having an effect on me. I managed to find my composure again though.

"Lopez. Santana Lopez." I replied shakily. I wanted to please her and I didn't even know her. I was captivated by those blue eyes full of mystery and she was doing things to me I couldn't understand. Normally I would find it rude if someone was asking for my surname and probably insult them. But not with this woman.

"Well Lopez…" She trailed off, bringing my attention back to her. She looked at Sugar and then back at me. "What did she see this time?" She asked. At first I didn't understand what she was talking about, her lips were really distracting, but then I remembered the contract in my hands. Before I could explain Sugar spoke up.

"Oh my god! I saw this shop at some street, I don't even know, and it had the cutest little teddy bears. I remembered my childhood and all that cliché, I don't really care, and I just wanted to have them. What's the big deal anyway?" She wondered. Brittany rolled her eyes again. She came on the other side of the couch I was sitting on. She looked me up and down and sat, then turned her attention back to Sugar.

"You are crazy Motta." Was all she said in that bored but sweet voice. Sugar huffed again.

"Anyway. How much do they cost?" She asked waving the papers in her hands that were holding two glasses of water, somehow managing to not spill it.

"Something edible." The blonde replied. She looked back at me, her gaze calculating, trying to figure out if she can trust me or not. I just thought that she was the most beautiful woman on Earth with those blue eyes, blonde hair, creamy skin, perfect body and those tattoos. I wondered what they meant.

"Seriously Britt? Again?" Sugar took Brittany's attention from me.

"Just make me something to eat woman, I'm fucking hungry." Brittany replied, smirking at an irritated Sugar leaving the living room. She looked at me again, her eyes and face back to guarded and untrusting. I was a little intimidated by her. I stared back at her eyes, trying to understand her until she cleared her throat, breaking our eye contact and looking around.

I went back to the contract. I tried to concentrate but I could feel her eyes on me again and I just wanted to know what she was thinking. I managed to stay focused on the papers in front of me though, reading through the contract and clearing it. When I finished I turned my head to my right to see what Brittany was doing and saw that she was sitting cross-legged on the couch, her back on the arm rest facing me and staring at me. I should find this creepy but I just felt self-conscious under her piercing gaze.

"What?" I finally asked.

"You're a lawyer, Lopez?" She asked, still staring at me.

"Yes." I said showing her the contract in my hands, feeling uncomfortable at her stoic face and thanked god when Sugar came in a few seconds later.

"Here." She said offering a plate with triangle shaped PB&J sandwiches to Brittany and a glass of water to me. The blonde broke her gaze off me and turned to accept the plate, starting to eat immediately and Sugar just laughed. "Slow down Britt, Ali isn't here to take them from you."

A smile broke its way through the blondes face at the mention of this Ali person and made me wonder who Ali was and if Brittany was gay too. Or maybe Ali was a dog? But as soon as our eyes met again the smile vanished and was replaced with a frown and a glare at Sugar's direction. Sugar looked guilty and apologetic and I frowned because I was clueless on what was going on. I decided that was my cue to leave. I cleared my throat.

"Well, the contract is fine Sugar, you can go ahead and sign." I said and stood up handing the contract to her and placing the glass on the coffee table. Sugar lunged in my arms, hugging me and thanking me and I awkwardly patted her on the back."I should go now." I said.

"Thank you again." She said, pulling away and walking me to the door.

"No problem." I said and looked back at Brittany. I really wanted to get to know the mystery blonde but the frown she was still sporting let me know that she didn't. I nodded my head at her as a goodbye and she did the same, allowing her frown to evaporate. I smiled at her and left.

All I could think about on my way home was Brittany. Her blonde hair, held tight in a high ponytail, her blue eyes, mesmerizing and alluring, her perfect body and long legs, her piercings and her tattoos, wondering what they meant, why she was so guarded and what was her story.


	2. Chapter 2

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 2:

Monday went by and I haven't even noticed it. I have been working all day, I had so much paperwork to do that I didn't even find time to eat. I just got home, threw my keys and bag on the table by the front door and took my heels off, going to the kitchen to find something to eat. I took a frozen pizza and threw it in the oven and went to find my phone. Quinn has been calling me all day but I hadn't found the time to answer her. I put the phone on speaker and went to my bedroom to change from my work clothes. Quinn picked up on the third ring.

"_Finally!"_ She exclaimed.

Quinn has been my best friend since high school. Granted, back then we were more like frenemies but she was there for me when I was outed as a lesbian at the whole school and helped me get my bitchy reputation back. And I was there for her when she fell pregnant and then gave her child for adoption. We moved to New York together after graduation and became close really fast. We studied law together and took internships at different law firms.

"Hey Q, I'm sorry. I was drowning in work today. What's up?" I said all in one breath, trying to avoid her ranting about me ignoring her.

"_Yeah, yeah. You are a very busy woman, I know." _She huffed and I rolled my eyes, because _yeah, I am._"_I was wondering if we are going to that dinner tomorrow night or if you'll be 'busy' and 'tired'_." She emphasized the words to make sure I understood her sarcasm. I always did.

"We can go to dinner Q." I rolled my eyes. I missed her, though I would never tell her that. But I was pretty sure she knew it. We didn't see each other very much, so I agreed having dinner with her.

"_Great!"_ She exclaimed."_I'll be at the dance studio until 7 and we can meet and go from there." _She said. I rolled my eyes again.

"You know, you should try _talking_ to him instead of _stalking _him." I teased. Quinn had this huge crush on a dance teacher at a dance studio and had been taking classes there just to watch him dance. She was too shy to talk to him apparently. Although _shy_ is not a word I would use to describe Quinn, there must be something about this Asian guy making her all mushy and sappy.

"_I know, I know. Next time I'll talk to him, I promise."_ She said quickly. Already knowing my reply she added, "_And I mean it this time, I will."_

"Ok…"I said hesitantly, afraid she'd chicken out again."So anyway, I'll see you tomorrow then?"I asked.

"_Yeah, see you tomorrow San. Bye!"_ She said and hang up before I could reply. I shrugged and went back to the kitchen to eat my pizza.

After I ate I sat on the couch with more paperwork and turned on the TV for background noise. It made me feel not so lonely, just hearing the crappy shows and working on my cases. It was relaxing and comforting, completely different from all the noises and interruptions in my office at work.

I worked for another three hours before closing my papers and head to take a shower. Once I forgot all about my cases, my mind was invaded by a blonde beauty called Brittany and left me wondering if I was ever going to see her again. I hoped the answer was yes.

…

I arrived ten minutes earlier at the dance studio. It was a big building, and what I've heard from Quinn, a very successful dance studio. I waited for Quinn outside, leaning against the wall. We were heading to a little diner a few blocks down the street so I was dressed casually. I heard the door of the dance studio open and steps coming to my direction but I didn't pay much attention. I was checking my emails when a voice called my name. Or last name.

"Lopez, right?"

I straightened up from my leaning position on the wall and looked up from my phone to meet those familiar, cat-like, blue eyes that had me drowning in them. This time she had her hair down and she wore jeans and a black t-shirt so her tattoos were hidden, (I briefly wondered if she had any more than the two I already saw), but her piercings weren't hidden. I found myself staring at her pink lips and the piercing on her bottom lip again. She cleared her throat and arched an eyebrow in question. I decided to not be intimidated by her this time, it wasn't like me to be afraid of people.

"You know I have a name, right?" I asked, trying to get my voice to sound strong.

"I know."Brittany smirked and stepped closer to me, making me notice our height difference. She was taller than me by a few inches. She rendered me speechless again and that said something, I'm a lawyer for God's sake, I speak for a living.

"Then why are you calling me Lopez?" I found my voice again though it was a little shaky due to the proximity of the blonde. I was trying to understand why she liked last names so much. But she just shrugged and looked away like she didn't care. I sighed, clicked my tongue and looked away too before turning my gaze back to her again.

"So what are you doing here?" She asked.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I retorted in my lawyer voice.

"Just stuff." Brittany shrugged.

"Stuff?" I queried.

"Yeah." She shrugged again. She was eyeing me curiously and I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "So, Sugar told me you guys are friends for years." She stated. Wait, did she ask Sugar about me? I nodded anyways, because we _are_ friends for years." Then how come I only get to meet you now?" She arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I don't know." I shrugged but she was waiting for more so I said, "I don't really hang out with Sugar outside the firm." She nodded at this.

"Yeah, I don't really hang out with Sugar _inside _the firm." She said and I chuckled. She snorted a laugh too. But then she turned serious again."So…you didn't tell me what you are doing here." She stated, looking around and then back at me again.

"I'm waiting for Quinn." I answered then realized that she wasn't supposed to know Quinn."A friend of mine. She's taking dance classes here." I said and nodded towards the entrance of this big dance studio. I wanted to know what she was doing here as well but I figured from her cryptic answers that I wouldn't find out anyway. She nodded and smirked.

"That girl is as subtle as a fly in the milk." She stated, smirk still on her face. I was confused by this and it was probably visible on my face because she shrugged and added."Mike is single, she should just talk to him already."

"Wha..Wh- H-How do y-you…?" I tried to formulate coherent thoughts and words but my brain wasn't helping me. Did Brittany know Quinn? Did Quinn know Brittany? For how long? And how did Britanny know about Quinn's crush? Then again, Brittany said it herself, Quinn is as subtle as a fly in the milk. Weird comparison.

"I just know stuff." She interrupted my stuttering.

"Right." I mumbled and eyed her curiously. "So, you didn't tell what _you _are doing here." I mimicked her statement from earlier, deciding to let it go for now and ask Quinn later instead.

"Is that a lawyer thing or a Lopez thing?" She asked. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"What thing?" I asked.

"That you want to know everything." She replied calmly, shrugging a shoulder and looking around before her gaze settling on me again. I chuckled in embarrassment, looking away from her, thanking whoever created me for my dark complexion hiding my blush.

"I guess it's a little bit of both." I replied finally, looking back at her. It's not like she didn't want to know anything but I decided to not call her on it. She was obviously not an open person. She nodded and half-smiled and half-smirked.

"Well, I'm not going to be your favorite person then." She said. Her answer was cryptic, like everything in her eyes and behavior and that just made me want to know her even more. Before I could reply though her phone rang. "Yes." She answered. I didn't want to eavesdrop so I looked at my phone again but she was standing right in front of me, her back now to me."Put her on."She said, then she surprised me with her sweet voice."Hey, baby." I could hear the smile in her voice."I'll be home soon sweetie, ok? I love you so much." I felt a weird sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach at those words. It was confusing and frustrating. She hang up the phone and turned around."So…" She trailed off.

"So…" I mimicked her. She arched an eyebrow and looked around again before returning her gaze at me.

"I gotta go." She said, making my face fall in disappointment. I didn't want her to leave, I enjoyed talking to the blonde. "I'll see you around." She waved and turned away from me, leaving before I could say anything.

I stare at Brittany's retreating form, her ass, the way she swayed her hips and wondered if she was a dancer at this studio. With that body and that gracious way she was walking, she definitely could. I was still staring down the street where Brittany vanished off when someone nudged me on my shoulder.

"You ok?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah." I tried to smile, still trying to get out of my Brittany daze. "You ready?" I asked. She looked a little hesitant, studying my face but then just shrugged and looped her arm around mine and dragged me down the street.

…

"So did you talk to him yet?" I asked once we were sited at a table in a corner at the diner.

"Hmmm?" Quinn pretended she didn't understand what I was talking about, not looking up from the menu the waitress gave to us not too long ago. But I knew she wasn't really reading.

"Q!" I whined. She chuckled and rolled her eyes setting her menu on the table in front of her and leaning on her elbows, cradling her head in her hands and looking at me.

"Yeah, I did." She smiled dreamily. I smiled too, Quinn had been through so much in high school and I just wanted her to be happy again."I didn't ask him out or anything but I talked to him, that's a start, right?" She asked hesitantly. Then she breathed, "Baby steps."

"Yes, baby steps." I nodded and chuckled with her."So…" I continued, trailing off.

"So what?" Quinn arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. I decided to just go for it.

"Do you know Brittany?" I asked not looking at her, afraid she might see my fascination with the mysterious blonde. Quinn could always read me so well, sometimes it was frustrating.

"Brittany? The blonde dancer?" She asked frowning.

"Yeah, I guess." _So, she is a dancer _I thought.

"I don't know her exactly, I never talked to her. She just replaced Mike a couple of times, teaching instead of him." Quinn said, eyeing me curiously. "Why? How do you know her?" She asked. Before I could answer, the waitress came to take our orders. I didn't even open the menu so I just ordered something randomly. After the waitress left I turned my attention to Quinn who was still expecting my reply.

"I just met her at Sugar's on Sunday and saw her outside of the studio today while I was waiting for you, and I was wondering if you knew her." I shrugged. I decided not to tell Quinn that Brittany knew about her secret crush, she would be really embarrassed.

"Hmmm, well she taught the class I take a couple of times but she is around often. I don't think she's a teacher at the studio though and that's weird." She said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know. She is a really good dancer. I like Mike, I really do, and there are a lot of good dance teachers at that studio, but she's on a different level. That's why it's weird she's not a teacher." Quinn said. I could definitely imagine Brittany being a very good dancer. I wanted to see the blonde dance. But I found that weird too, if she was such a good dancer then why not teach? I shrugged, figuring I will soon discover the mystery that is Brittany. Hopefully.

"Anyway, we should just eat." I said as the waitress brought our orders.

* * *

A.N.: Should I continue with this?


	3. Chapter 3

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 3:

My alarm going off woke me up on Friday morning. I groaned and rolled on my stomach to turn it off. I buried my face in my pillows and let my mind wander again. Between Tuesday, and my encounter with Brittany, and today, I often caught myself thinking about the blonde. What was her job? Was it something to do with the dance studio? But Quinn said she was not a teacher, so why _be _there often if she was not teaching? Or maybe it was something to do with the papers she gave Sugar the first time I saw her? But she didn't even get paid. Maybe it was because Sugar was her friend. Then again what could those papers have on them?

I groaned and got up. All these thoughts were so confusing for me. Brittany was confusing for me and I just wanted to get to know the blonde. Finally, I decided that it didn't really matter, what mattered was if and when I was going to see her again.

I went to the kitchen to make some coffee and get ready for work. Today was going to be another difficult late night working at the office.

…

I made my way through the streets of New York, the few blocks from my apartment to the firm. I was not looking forward dealing with the paperwork that will be on my desk, but that's why I went early and left late. My phone ringing startled me and I reached for it to see who was calling me.

_Puck._

"Hello?" I answered.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"I'm just outside the building." I told him, I figured he would be bringing me info on one of my cases.

"Alright, stay downstairs. I'll be there in 10." He said and hang up.

As I neared the building I saw a figure leaning against a wall on the side. I got closer and recognized a tattooed tiger staring at me on a left thigh. My fascination with Brittany's tattoos was unhealthy. I knew they meant something, they weren't just for the beauty of them, although they were very impressive. Again I wondered how many tattoos she had but that quickly left my mind once Brittany looked up. She was looking me up and down, observing my tight skirt and shirt that showed enough cleavage but still remained professional. She didn't look like she wanted to ravish me, more like she was admiring. I blushed under her gaze and cleared my throat.

"Hi." I breathed when I was closer to her. I noticed that she was holding a bunch of papers again and she was smoking.

"Mornin' Lopez." She replied in that bored but sweet tone of hers, taking a drag of her cigarette but I could tell my presence was definitely not bothering her. I tried to hide how happy I was to see her and I hoped I did it successfully. I didn't know if she wanted to talk to me, but I wanted to talk to her so I did.

"What are you doing here?" I asked and stood in front of her, a good few inches between us. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable now that she started warming up to me.

"You keep asking that." She mumbled and rolled her eyes but I could tell it was playful. I chuckled and ignored the excitement I felt because she remembered our last conversation.

"You never answer though." I stated. She shrugged and took another drag, turning her head away from me to blow the smoke but kept her eyes on me. Her piercing gaze sent shivers down my spine.

"I'm waiting for Motta but she's late, so…" She trailed off and looked away. I wanted her attention on me though so I spoke again.

"So, how do you know Sugar?" I asked. She looked at me and blinked in surprise, then relaxed again and started playing with the piercing on her bottom lip with her tongue. It was very distracting.

"She hasn't told you?" She asked, breaking my staring contest with her lips. She sounded bored but I could tell she wanted to know.

"No." I shook my head." She never talked about you actually and you guys are best friends and I've known her for five years." I stated, frowning.

"Motta _thinks _we are best friends." Was her vague reply. I didn't ask what she meant with that, if she wanted to tell me she would. After several uncomfortable seconds she spoke again."You know Sugar for five years and never met me and then we meet three times in one week." She said. I furrowed my eyebrows at her statement, she was right but I didn't know where she was going with this."Do you think it's a coincidence?" She then asked leaning closer to me. I immediately shook my head.

"I don't believe in coincidences. I believe that everything happens for a reason." I told her shakily, trying to ignore my fast heartbeats. She was so close to me. She stared at me for a few seconds, studying my face and then nodded her agreement and leaned away from me again."So…"I trailed off when I could speak properly again and she arched an eyebrow at me."Sugar…"I prompted her and raised my eyebrows, wanting her to tell me how they met. She chuckled.

"I was her dance teacher a really long time ago. She kept talking to me but never asked questions so I guess that's how we stayed friends."She said shrugging and I nodded. It made sense. But then I remembered Quinn telling me that Brittany was not a dance teacher. I frowned.

"You are not a dance teacher though." I stated and she smirked and arched an eyebrow, like she knew I would figure it out eventually.

"No, I'm not. I'm a mathematician." She told me and waved the papers that she was holding with her free hand. My eyebrows shot to my hairline.

"Oh, wow." I breathed."So, you are like a genius." I teased her.

"So I've heard." She smirked again.

"Yo, Lezpez." A rough voice interrupted me when I was about to ask Brittany about the dance studio. I rolled my eyes at Puck's lame excuse of a nickname and Brittany's arched eyebrow. I turned just in time to see Puck's gaze shifting towards Brittany. He smirked flirtatiously and looked her up and down.

Brittany furrowed her eyebrows, finished her cigarette in two more drags and flicked it across to Puck, the butt landing by his feet.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, disgust and venom dripping from her voice. My eyes widen in surprise at her reaction. But Puck didn't even flinch.

"Your bangin' body." He replied lamely eyes glued on Brittany's legs and then at her chest. His disgusting smirk was still in place.

"Fuck off." Brittany barked threateningly. I noticed the warning in her voice and the anger in her eyes and I could tell that she was holding back because I was there, if the way she kept glancing at me was any indication. Her free fist was clenched tightly and her nostrils flared. I knew that the next time Puck was to open his mouth, Brittany was going to punch him. Although it would be nice to see Puck getting his ass kicked, I decided to step in.

"Just give me the info and go Puck." I said and threw him a warning look while holding my hand up. He nodded, handed me the folder he was holding, sent a wink in Brittany's direction and left. I turned my attention back to her and she was leaned against the wall again, playing with the papers in her hands nervously, lost in her mind.

"You ok?" I asked her. She startled and looked at me and then huffed.

"Fucking asshole." She muttered.

"I'm sorry about him." I told her softly and she nodded. Her behavior was odd but I didn't push her with any questions. She was clearly feeling uncomfortable and I didn't want to put any more pressure on her. After a few seconds of awkward silence she spoke up.

"You know, Lopez" she started, getting my attention," once upon a time, someone told me that a lawyer is the only profession that doesn't exist in heaven." She shrugged, looking at the folder I was holding and I frowned.

"Why?" I asked. She looked at me pointedly.

"Because they lie and that's a sin." She deadpanned and looked away from me and up at the sky. She took a deep breath and I sighed.

"That's my job, Brittany." I told her calmly. She turned to look at me when I called her name."I'm not saying it's the most innocent job, because it's not. I use someone's past and dirty little secrets to bring them down." I said and showed her the folder I was holding."But I don't lie, I just twist the truth for my client's benefit."I finished.

"That's wrong." She said in a strong voice with fire in her eyes."You can't judge people based on their past. You don't know why they do what they do." She finished, her voice wavered at the end. She was getting upset. I guessed she was talking about herself but I didn't know _what _she was talking about.

"I don't judge people. I just use their secrets against them." I shrugged. I knew it would make her mad but I was being honest with her.

"It's still wrong." She spat. Before I could protest or defend myself another voice interrupted me once again.

"Hey, Britt. Hey, San." I turned to see Sugar coming towards us with a huge smile on her face.

"Motta." Brittany said and pushed the papers in Sugar's hands, effectively causing Sugar's smile to disappear."This was the last time. If he wants to continue doing this, he can go on the website." She told her, anger still evident in her voice. _Website?_ She looked at me one last time before pushing herself off the wall and leaving.

I heard her mumbling a 'Bye, Lopez'. It occurred to me that the reason she called me by my last name was maybe because she wanted to keep me at arm's length, like a formality between us. But she was calling Sugar by her last name too. I frowned. I decided then and there to make the blonde call me by my first name, no matter what.

Then I remembered what just happened. First, Brittany's reaction at Puck's flirting, then her talks about heaven and stares at the sky and finally, and most importantly, her reaction about people's past.

Clearly the blonde had a shady past to be reacting this way. Maybe she got angry because she thought that I would judge her. But I wouldn't do that. Sure, I was a judgmental bitch back in high school, but not anymore and certainly not with Brittany. Brittany was different from anyone I've ever talked to. And she said so herself, she had her reasons for doing whatever she did.

"What just happened?" Sugar wondered frowning, breaking me out of my thoughts. I shrugged because I _didn't _know what happened.

…

I arrived home late that night, threw my keys and bag on the table, took off my heels and went to the kitchen to throw a frozen pizza in the oven again. I should eat healthier but I was too busy and tired for that. I made my way to my bedroom and stepped out of my skirt and shirt. I was getting ready to take a shower when my phone buzzed. I looked for it and found it in my bag by the front door. I had one text message.

**From Quinn: Hey, San. Guess who I get to see tomorrow again!**

I chuckled at the message, picturing Quinn fist pumping the air. I decided to tease her.

**To Quinn: A little birdie told me that Mike is single**

You didn't need to be a genius to know that the little birdie was Brittany but I doubted Quinn would make the connection. After all she didn't know that Brittany knew about her crush.

Brittany. My thoughts went to the blonde again. Why did she seem so uncomfortable with Puck's flirting? I understood that he was being a pig and eyeing her like a piece of meat and who'd like that? But it was more than that, it was evident in her behavior. She was uncomfortable and aggressive, like Puck was taking something from her just by looking at her body and wanting her.

And a _mathematician? _I'd never guess that. I guessed all those papers were mathematical problems. _Hmm, interesting. _And what about the _website_?My thoughts were interrupted by my phone buzzing.

**From Quinn: OH MY GOD! Are you fucking with me San? This isn't funny!**

I chuckled again and shook my head. Quinn is always so composed and serious, seeing her acting like a high school girl was a nice change.

**To Quinn: I'm not, I promise. x**

I dropped my phone on the bed and put on some sweats and went to the kitchen to eat my healthy pizza. I heard my phone buzzing again. Figuring it would be Quinn, I ignored it and went to take a shower.

After I finished, I put on some pjs and went to bed. I grabbed my phone and checked to see the message.

**From Quinn: I'll definitely keep that in mind then!**

I shook my head smiling and turned my alarm on and went to sleep. I was pretty sure my dreams were going to be consumed by blonde hair and blue eyes.

* * *

A.N.: Tell me your thoughts about this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 4:

There's been two weeks since the last time I saw Brittany. Two weeks of work, work and work. Quinn had said that I needed a life but I paid her no attention. I _had_ a life, I was a successful and upcoming lawyer, what I always wanted to be.

The hours I wasn't working, my mind was consumed by blue eyed, blonde haired Brittany. Every time I talked to her she left me with more questions. I wanted to spend hours just watching her doing the simplest things, like breathing. I should feel ashamed of myself for being such a creep but I couldn't care less.

I knew I should be mad at Brittany for getting angry about my job but I knew better than this. I knew she didn't have a problem with _me. _We just disagreed on the morality of my job. I wanted to talk to her, to see if she was still mad at me but I thought she needed her space. Plus, if she wanted she knew where to find me. I couldn't help but be a little sad though, I thought I was making progress with her but she still had her walls up. At least she told me she wasn't a dance teacher but a mathematician instead.

I was in my office on a Wednesday morning, working on a divorce case. My client was a middle-aged man, Mr. Smith, whose wife cheated on. I had a good feeling that I could win a lot for my client in this case, but I didn't want to sound too cocky, not even to myself, so I just concentrated on my notes again, making sure I planned my actions and questions right. I heard a knock on my office's door but I didn't look up, figuring it would be Marley, my assistant.

"Come in." I said loudly to be heard outside the door. It opened and then closed.

"Hey." Said an angelic voice, causing my left hand to jolt and ruin the notes I was writing. I looked up and was met with blue eyes and an eyebrow arched in amusement. I tried to hide my excitement and surprise by clearing my throat.

"Brittany?" I wondered. What was the blonde doing in my office? Not that I wasn't happy to see her. She was wearing once again very short shorts and a tank top, showing off her tattoos and her toned body, much to my pleasure. She was busy looking around in my office and I was looking on her face, watching her tongue playing with the piercing on the inside of her bottom lip."I thought you don't really hang out with Sugar _inside _the firm." I stated sounding more like questioning her, mimicking her reply of that night at the dance studio. But I was really curious as to why she was in my office. She looked at me in surprise and blinked a couple of times.

"Oh, I don't."She stated and blushed slightly. _I just made Brittany blush, _I thought and mentally high-fived myself. Did she just come to see me? I tried to not let my happy feelings get away with me and I cleared my throat again. I arched an eyebrow in question, causing her to blush some more.

She raised her hands to her hair ignoring me and gathered it in a high ponytail with a tie she had on her wrist, showing her strong arms. She was probably getting hot from all the blushing I was causing her. Maybe she _did_ come just to see me.

Her tank top rose up and showed the start of a black tattoo but I couldn't tell what it was. It started from the inside of her left hipbone and occupied her left side and hip until the start of her back, disappearing under her tank top. The contrast with her pale skin made the tattoo even more beautiful and imposing, although I didn't know what it was. So she did have more tattoos than I could see.

"How many tattoos do you have?" I blurted out, surprising myself and Brittany at the same time. I blushed and started to speak again."I mean, you don't have to tell me if yo- " She cut me off.

"Four." She simply said. I stared at her, surprised that she answered my question and then I nodded slowly. "I have these two" she showed me the half of the tiger that I could see on the outside of her left thigh and the purple flower on the right of her chest, "I have another one on my lower back and I have one on my left ribcage." She said, only then realizing that her tank top had risen up and tugged it down again. I smiled.

"They are really beautiful, from what I can see." I told her honestly. She nodded appreciatively at me.

"Thanks. Actually, I drew them." She told me as she was getting a sit on the chair on the other side of my desk. She crossed her legs and stared at me as I was staring at her.

"You draw?" I finally got out. Brittany was definitely full of surprises.

"Not really." She said softly shrugging and continued, "I mean just a little bit, only things that matter to me." She shrugged again. I was intrigued.

"Flowers and tigers matter to you?" I asked. She frowned.

"Yes." She simply said with finality and crossed her arms, making me understand that this conversation was over. I wondered if I said something wrong or if I said something too soon. I went with the latter.

We fell in an awkward silence. She went back to looking around in my office and I was left wondering why I was so captivated by a tattooed mysterious woman. After a few seconds she looked back at me and broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about the lawyer thing." She said softly, looking at me through her eyelashes and biting her bottom lip. I sighed.

"Have you ever watched a trial?" I asked her quietly and she shook her head 'no' and looked away from me and at the sky outside the window behind me. I took a deep breath."It's like a war." I started. "Lawyers are reckless, digging to discover every little dirty secret you have. Sometimes the war is between the lawyers too. I wouldn't win a single case if I went there, being a good girl and trying to win with kisses, Brittany. I have to do whatever I can for my client to win, and if that means invading their privacy or digging in to their past, a lot of times of my client's too, then so be it." I said softly and watched her swallowing hard. She looked at me hesitantly.

"So, you could just dig into my life too and learn _every little dirty secret I have?"_ She mimicked what I said earlier and she had her arms still crossed in front of her chest. I frowned at her now unreadable expression. So this was what was bothering her?

"Yeah, I could." I told her honestly and saw her expression shifting towards anger so I continued quickly."But", I said and smiled softly at her, "I respect you too much to do that." I finished.

"You don't even know me." Brittany said quietly and looked away from me again.

"I'd like to get to know you though. If you'd let me, of course." I told her softly. She nodded hesitantly, finally making eye-contact, allowing me to admire the blue of her eyes. I felt the happiness fill my insides and I smiled.

"How do you do that anyways?" She wondered, her voice back to its normal volume.

"Do what?" I frowned.

"Learning about people and stuff…" She shrugged and trailed off. I smirked.

"I know the right people." I replied and then I thought about it and continued. " Or the _wrong _people. It's a matter of perspective, really." I smiled and she nodded. She turned to look at the time and sighed as she stood up.

"I have to go but I'll see you soon?" She more asked than said while walking towards the door.

"Of course." I smiled at her. Then, "Wait!" I said a little too loudly.

Brittany turned and looked at me with curiosity. I walked around my desk towards her and gave her my phone, silently asking for her number. She arched an eyebrow at me and I arched one back. She rolled her eyes.

"You win, Lopez." She mumbled under her breath and I chuckled at her. She wrote her number and gave it back to me, shaking her head at my triumphant smile, trying to hide her own smile and then she opened the door and left.

She was still being secretive and guarded but at least she agreed to let me in, so I thought that as a progress. _Plus, _she came to apologize _and _she gave me her number. I did a little celebratory dance inside my head and went back to work.

…

I checked my phone for the time and saw that it was a little after 8 p.m. I turned off my computer, gathered my papers in piles and put them in my bag. I grabbed my bag and got up, taking my phone with me and leaving my office, saying goodbye to Marley, always waiting for me to leave first.

As I exited the building I saw Sugar at the bottom of the stairs leading to the building's entrance. I descended the stairs and walked by her side on the sidewalk, only then noticing the child she was holding in her arms.

"Hey." I said quietly to not startle her. But she was startled anyway. She turned around to face me and her eyes widen.

"S-Santana?" She asked in alarm. I furrow my brows in confusion.

"What's wrong?" I wondered. She just shook her head.

"What are you doing here so late?" Sugar asked me while looking around.

"I could ask you the same thing actually. I always work late, you know that." I answered, my brows still furrowed at her weird behavior.

"Right, forgot about that." She mumbled under her breath but I heard it. She was still looking around. I took the chance to look at the child she was holding. It must have been no more than three years old, a blonde girl that when she looked at me I smiled at the blue that stared back at me. The girl looked at me, giggled and then hid her face in the crook of Sugar's neck, turning the brunette's attention back to me.

"Who is this?" I asked, looking at the girl then back at Sugar. Sugar looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"This i- " She went to answer but the little girl interrupted her.

"Mommy!" She screamed looking behind my shoulder. I turned and froze at the sight of Brittany running towards us with a huge smile on her face that fell the moment she saw me looking at her. My eyes widen and I stood still frozen. _Mommy? Brittany? Brittany has a daughter._ She was such a big mystery to me that I shouldn't even be surprised discovering that she had a daughter. She looked at me like the mother-tiger, not sure if she wanted to tear me apart or just let me run away because I was near her baby-tiger. _Oh, no! _I felt like we went back to zero. After our conversation earlier I thought we were ok and then this happened. She reached us and looked at her daughter again.

"Ali. Hey baby!" Brittany said softly and took her daughter from Sugar, who was frozen as well, and kissed her on the cheek, nuzzling her neck and making the little girl giggle.

She chuckled when her daughter tried to touch her nose ring and pretended to eat her tiny fingers. The little girl squealed and tried again and Brittany tried again to eat her tiny fingers. A playful Brittany was a mesmerizing sight for me. I didn't think I could ever forget it. _So this was the famous Ali, Brittany's daughter _I then thought. That explained a lot. The smiles and the sweet voice, the pet names and I love you's. The blonde was so different being with her daughter, she was carefree and happy. Just by watching her interacting with her little girl I felt like she was letting me in.

"Britt, I'm so sor- "Sugar started to say but Brittany cut her off.

"It's ok Motta." The tall blonde said, her attention still on her daughter. She smiled as the little blonde traced her tiny finger on the tattoo of a flower she had on the right of her chest, showing off from the tank top she was wearing. I could see how much Ali looked like Brittany. Blue eyes, blonde hair and pale skin, it was like looking at a smaller version of Brittany.

"Are you sure? It wasn't my fault this time, I swear." Sugar said quickly, looking at Brittany hesitantly and with…fear? I furrowed my brows in confusion at their interaction.

"Yeah, it's ok. You just happened to see Santana while she was leaving her work. I understand that, I'm not paranoid Motta. Don't make me seem like one." Brittany said and furrowed her brows at Sugar's direction and then turned to face me, her facial expressions finally softening. It was not lost on me that she used my first name but she seemed to not notice or not care. "Lopez." She acknowledged my presence with a nod. And there we went again and I didn't even know her last name.

"Hi." I said, still in confusion about their interaction. Is it all because Brittany is over-protective of her daughter? I looked at her daughter, now leaning her head on Brittany's shoulder, probably tired and sleepy. It's late for a kid after all. Then I turned my attention back to the blonde watching me watching her daughter. Her face was unreadable now but she definitely wasn't glaring at me. It was more like she was calculating me. Finally she decided to introduce me to her daughter.

"Baby, this is Santana. Lopez, this is Alice, my daughter." She said. The little girl looked at me, blushed and hid her face in her mother's neck making the blonde smile. Her smile was contagious and so, so beautiful.

"Hi Ali." I cooed.

"Hi." The little girl said back, giggling, not looking at me. I chuckled and looked at her still smiling mother. She looked at me and that was the first time she directed a genuine smile in my direction. I felt my heart starting to melt inside my chest and a sense of relief overcame my mind. _We're ok, _I thought. Then she turned to Sugar.

"We should go now." She announced, hoisting her daughter further up on her right hip.

"Ok Britt, I'll see you tomorrow right?" Sugar asked.

"Sure." Replied the blonde, allowing Sugar to place a kiss on Alice's cheek. After Brittany told me that they weren't really best friends I noticed that Brittany wasn't that open with Sugar either. I turned my attention back to the little girl.

"It was very nice meeting you Ali." I said softly, afraid I might say the wrong thing in front of Brittany. This is really a new thing for me because I was never afraid of what I said. I've been insulting people my whole life, speaking is really natural for me, especially in the court. But something about Brittany and Sugar's reaction had me being cautious about the blonde mother.

The blonde girl just giggled again and waved at me the same way Brittany did, before turning and leaving. As Brittany passed by me I caught a smell of her scent, which paralyzed momentarily my brain functioning. It was a mixture of vanilla and coconut and surprisingly not cigarettes. Apparently she didn't smoke as much as I thought she did, she had a kid after all.

I stared at her retreating form until she was vanished, then turned back to Sugar who was watching Brittany leaving as well.

"What was that?" I queried. She looked at me and furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm so sorry San. Brittany is just a little over-protective of Ali. All I can tell you is that she doesn't like it when her daughter is meeting new people without her. I know that much and I know that I did it once and I'm definitely not gonna do it again. You just don't want Brittany directing her anger towards you. You just don't." She shook her head, her brows still furrowed.

"Like, I'm a threat?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing at this new information. Ok, all mothers are protective over their children, but not meeting new people when Brittany is not present? This was just weird. Something must have happened to the blonde, making her not trust strangers around her daughter. But I could tell, she didn't have a problem with me meeting Alice, _she _introduced us after all.

"I don't know. I know she doesn't hate you and that's a really good start with Brittany. I don't think she sees you as a threat but she doesn't trust people very easily and she's not a very open person." Sugar tried to calm down my wild thoughts. I wondered if Sugar knew what happened to Brittany but I doubted it. She didn't seem to know anyway.

"So that's why she was frowning at me when you said Ali's name in front of me?" I asked, referring to the first time I met Brittany. Sugar seemed to be thinking about it and then shrugged.

"Probably. I'm just afraid about the whole Ali thing with her because Britt doesn't take any bullshit when it comes to her daughter, you know? She just lets the kid with me sometimes when she has her own business to do." I wondered what business Sugar was talking about.

"Ok." I nodded my head, because what else could I say? Brittany was still a big mystery to me and every time I looked at her, I just wanted to discover more of her."Anyway, I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow." I told her and patted her on the shoulder as I turned to leave. I heard her mumbling a 'goodnight'.

I made my way home, a few blocks from the firm. As I was walking, I couldn't help but think about Brittany. Brittany had a daughter. Who was the father? Is she married? Just thinking about it made me feel that weird sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I quickly shrugged that feeling away though. Brittany had only ever given me the impression that we could _possibly _be friends at some point. She had a daughter, she was probably, if not married, then in a serious relationship. And even if she wasn't, she still didn't show any signs of her being interested in me in _that_ way. Or any woman for that matter. I guessed I was ok with it, if Brittany needed a friend then I would be that for her. I still had to learn so much about her. If that was the case though, I hoped for my own sake, that my infatuation with the blonde would eventually dissipate.

* * *

A.N.: Thoughts?


	5. Chapter 5

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 5:

A.N.: The song in this chapter is the Hall of Fame by The Script ft. Will.

* * *

It was Monday noon when I stepped out of the court room. I waved to Mr. Smith who was thanking me for the money he won from this case. _Another successful case for Ms. Santana Lopez, _I thought. I allowed myself to wear a satisfied smile when a voice called my name.

"San?" Said the voice. I stopped walking, turned around and was met with Quinn jogging towards me from down the hallway of the courthouse in all her tight skirt and high heels glory.

"Hey, Q. What are you doing here?" I wondered when she was closer to me. She waited a couple of seconds to catch her breath before answering.

"Meeting with the D.A." She said and started walking towards the exit. I started walking beside her too."You?" She asked.

"Divorce case." I answered and she nodded.

"Are you free now? Do you want to go grab some lunch?" Quinn asked me.

"Sure." I nodded at her. Just then another familiar voice caused me to stop.

"That's bullshit! He can't do that!" The voice exclaimed. I turned my head and saw a fuming Brittany inside of one of the offices at the courthouse. She was ready to make an even bigger scene so I rushed by her side and grabbed her upper arm, pulling her out of the office and in the hallway. My hand burnt where I touched her for the first time and my heart started beating faster inside my chest but I ignored it when Brittany turned at me with wide eyes full of anger and surprise. When she saw that it was me she allowed the surprise to vanish but the anger was still there.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at her frowning, looking back in the office to make sure that they went back to their business. The courthouse was the last place someone should be making a scene. Brittany huffed at me and shrugged her arm out of my grasp looking away. "What's wrong?" I asked her again when she said nothing, allowing my voice to soften. Brittany looked at me and her eyes were stormy and her jaw was set. She looked like a wild animal that someone locked in a cage and was trying to escape. She was angry and desperate. She opened her mouth and I actually thought that she was going to tell me but then her eye caught Quinn standing behind me. Brittany closed her mouth again and angrily shook her head at me frowning and turned to leave.

I stayed put in my spot wondering whether the scene that just happened was all in my head or if it _actually _happened. Quinn came beside me and spoke up, confirming that the scene _did _happen.

"What's wrong with Brittany?" She questioned. I momentarily forgot that Quinn and Brittany knew each other from the dance studio but that quickly left my mind when I replayed the scene in my head. I wondered what was wrong with Brittany too so I just shook my head at her.

"I don't know." I shrugged at her, hoping that she would let it go. But she didn't.

"Are you two like friends now?" She asked frowning. I frowned too. _Are we?_

"I don't know." I said and shrugged again. Quinn looked at me skeptically but I didn't want to talk to her about Brittany so I changed the subject. "So, lunch?" I asked her. I figured I would talk to Brittany again and eventually find out what was going on. It was obvious that the blonde needed her space, if the anger in her eyes was any indication.

"Ok." Quinn nodded and sighed, probably realizing that I wasn't going to talk about Brittany.

…

Quinn and I were sitting at a diner near the courthouse and were talking about our cases for the last half an hour. But I wanted to take my mind off of work and off of Brittany.

"So, what's going on with you and Chang?" I queried. Quinn blushed slightly.

"Uh, nothing." She said shaking her head and looked down at her food. I cleared my throat to get her to look at me. Once she did I arched an eyebrow in question and she blushed again.

"Quinn Fabray." I warned her teasingly, trying to hide my smirk.

"We just went for coffee." She shrugged.

"Like a date?" I asked with as much excitement as I could muster, considering my mind was occupied by a fuming blue eyed blonde.

"No!" Quinn protested loudly and blushed. The sight in front of me was really amusing."We just drank coffee and talked." She said.

"Sounds like a date to me." I shrugged innocently and waggled my eyebrows teasingly when she groaned.

"It wasn't a date!" She protested again, starting to get upset.

"Ok. Relax." I said smiling and held my hands up in defense before going back to my food.

"What about you?" She asked me then. I frowned.

"What _about _me?" I wondered. I had no idea where this was going.

"You and Brittany." She shrugged, taking a bite from her food.

"There's no Brittany and I." I frowned at her and took a bite of my own food. Quinn chuckled.

"Please, San." She scoffed."Tell that to someone who doesn't know you." She looked at me pointedly and I swallowed my food hard."Brittany was being Brittany, always being a little bitchy." She said. I wondered how often Quinn saw Brittany to form that opinion about her. And why did she form that opinion since she never talked to her? Maybe that was why. It wasn't the truth though.

"She's not a bitch." I defended and frowned. But Quinn paid no attention to my protests.

"And you being you, _should _act bitchy but you didn't." She frowned. "What's going on? Since when do you care about people who act like Brittany acted today?" She wondered.

"And how did Brittany act, Q?" I frowned at her angrily. I felt the need to defend the tattooed blonde, even to my best friend.

"Like she doesn't care?" She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and shrugged.

"You don't know her." I said and fixed her with a pointed look.

"And you do?" She frowned at me. I frowned too, because _maybe _she had a point. I didn't know Brittany _that _well but I knew a lot of stuff about her.

"I know enough to not judge her." I retorted. I didn't want to start a pointless fight with Quinn though."Look, just let it go ok? Nothing's going on." I sighed. Quinn eyed me for a few seconds and then nodded slowly.

"Ok, just be careful." She said and I rolled my eyes, allowing a small smile to take over my face.

"Yes, ma'am." I told her and she chuckled.

We fell in a comfortable silence while eating and I couldn't help it when my mind drifted off to Brittany again. What was she doing in the courthouse? Maybe it was a legal thing that was bothering her. I perked up at that. Maybe I could help her. But then again, I didn't think she'd want me to. I decided that I would help her no matter what. And in order to do that I had to find Brittany first. I decided to search for her in the only place that I knew she could be. The dance studio.

…

After I rushed Quinn to eat faster, we left the diner and parted our ways. I didn't tell Quinn that I'd make my way to the dance studio. She was not stupid though, she knew that I was going to find Brittany because she threw me a warning look, which I ignored.

As I entered the building I was met with a dozen of teenagers leaving and I held my bag closer to me, ignoring their sweaty smells. After the lobby cleared I saw a receptionist at my right. I walked to her and cleared my throat to get her attention. The brunette looked up and smiled at me.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She said in an annoyingly high voice, her smile so big I feared her face might broke.

"Is Brittany here?" I asked immediately. She frowned and looked behind me and then back at me.

"She's in her room but the door is closed. I would say bother her only if it is an emergency." She replied, her smile coming back on her face and her voice still annoying. I frowned. _Her _room? I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and nodded, forcing a smile on my face.

"Where?" I queried, wanting to know which door was Brittany's.

"Down that hallway, the last door on your right." She smiled gesturing behind me and I nodded my head at her.

I turned and walked towards _Brittany's _door. As I neared I could hear music playing from the inside but I couldn't recognize the song yet. I knocked on the door and unsurprisingly there was no reply. The music was too loud for Brittany to hear. I slowly opened the door and got inside closing it behind me and turning around.

I stood frozen at my spot, the view in front of me too mesmerizing for me to be able to do anything. I recognized the song. Brittany was dancing to the Hall Of Fame from The Script and her eyes were closed. She was wearing leggings and a tank top and she was barefoot, her hair held in a ponytail. She didn't notice me and I took the opportunity to see the blonde dancing.

She was gliding on the wooden floor, turning and splitting, showing just how flexible and what a great dancer she was. Brittany was so beautiful while dancing and I concentrated on her face and the frown she wore. Just then she started singing the lyrics of the song, while still dancing with her eyes closed.

_You can go the distance  
You can run the mile  
You can walk straight through hell with a smile_

You can be the hero  
You can get the gold  
Breaking all the records they thought never could be broke

Yeah, do it for your people  
Do it for your pride  
How are you ever gonna know if you never even try?

Do it for your country  
Do it for your name  
'Cause there's gonna be a day...

When you're standing in the hall of fame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

Her voice and movements held so much pain in them, I felt my eyes filling with unshed tears. I wanted to take Brittany in to my arms and never let go, just to keep her safe. But the frown of determination that was still on her face and the way she sang and danced with fierceness, told me that she didn't need that. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. I felt a weird feeling of pride for the blonde and I didn't even know why. She just looked so tough and brave, like she'd been through hell but she finally made it.

She danced and sang with so much emotion that I felt like I was invading her privacy, so I spoke up.

"Brittany." I said loudly to be heard over the music. She stopped and turned quickly around with wide eyes. When she saw it was me standing there she turned away and went to turn off the music from the stereo. She kept her back to me, letting her hair loose and running a hand through it. I heard her sigh. She turned and walked towards me.

"He claims Ali's sole custody." She said once she was right in front of me. I could tell that she was still irritated. I had so many questions about that statement but I went with the simple one.

"Who?"

"Her father." She answered, frowning at me. I had no idea what Brittany's relationship was with Alice's father but obviously it wasn't a good one.

"I'm assuming you denied it." I more said than questioned and she nodded. I nodded along with her. "So this goes to trial."I stated then and she nodded again. I sighed, this was complicated."Can I help you?" I asked her hopefully.

"I don't know, can you?" She huffed at me. I frowned at her angry behavior but otherwise ignored it. I spent enough time with the blonde to realize that the anger she was letting out was her defense mechanism. She got angry whenever she felt threatened or cornered or just uncomfortable.

"Will you let me help you, Brittany?" I asked her again and she huffed again.

"I don't like this. I don't want you digging into my life." She said looking away from me, still irritated.

"I won't." I answered her immediately and she turned to face me with a look of disbelief in her beautiful blue eyes." I promise." I told her then. "I'll only know whatever you choose to tell me. And whatever we'll need for the case." I finished. She looked like she was thinking about it.

"I don't know." She said and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Motta doesn't know about this, not even my sister. Why should I trust _you?_" She asked, challenging me. I tried to hide my hurt feelings from her and I ignored her question.

"The court is open for the public, anyone can hear anything that will be said."I warned her. She nodded at this and frowned irritated. Her eyes went on her feet, and her tongue was playing with the piercing on her bottom lip."But, I won't tell anyone. And I doubt Sugar will go to the court." I told her."I don't know about your sister."I shrugged, this was the first time I heard that Brittany had a sister. She nodded again, probably her sister wouldn't go to the court either."Please let me help you?" I asked once more. She sighed angrily and ran a hand through her hair, anger still evident in her behavior. "You can trust me."I said softly and she snorted.

"Why would I trust my daughter with a stranger?" She asked irritated. I decided that being soft with Brittany wouldn't help me to win this battle, so I ignored my sad feelings.

"You and I both know I'm not a stranger to you." I frowned and she looked away."Do you prefer trusting anotherattorney that you don't even know with your kid? An attorney that doesn't even care if you get to keep your daughter or not?" I challenged her. She started pacing in front of me.

"And you care?" She retorted back.

"Of course I do!" I exclaimed and she chuckled humorlessly, still pacing.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because." _I care about you, _I wanted to say but this wasn't the time."Why are you so against this?" I wondered. She stopped pacing and went to sit on the couch. I turned to face her."What are you afraid of? Are you afraid to trust me?" I dared to ask. She didn't look at me, she just took a bottle from the couch in her hands and put her legs on the couch and hugged them at her chest still frowning. I huffed at her when she said nothing and she looked up.

"You don't understand." She said angrily and looked away again. I ignored her statement, I could see her walls crumbling down.

"Or maybe…" I started again and she looked at me. I took a deep breath."Maybe you are afraid because you already trust me." I said and she looked away again. I sighed."This is for the best and you know it, I won't push you to tell me anything and we'll do this by your rules, ok?" I asked but she still didn't look at me. "No other lawyer will give you this, Brittany. And definitely no other lawyer will care if someone learns anything. They just don't care." I said. "You can trust me." I told her softly one last time. She looked up like she just thought of something, now determination in her eyes.

"Ok." She said and shrugged. "Let's see what kind of person you are, Lopez." She challenged me. I frowned.

"I don't understand." I told her.

"You will." Was her cryptic reply.

I was not naïve. I already knew that Brittany had a shady past. Maybe she was testing me. Maybe she wanted to see my reaction to decide if she could trust me or not. And I was definitely fine with that.

* * *

A.N.: What do you think is going on?


	6. Chapter 6

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 6:

A.N.: Thank you for all the follows and reviews. A couple things about this chapter: 1. A song Brittany could be hearing at the start might be Bad Company from FFDP. She definitely does _not _listen to only heavy metal. 2. I apologize beforehand for the legal things, cause i'm no lawyer and remember it's fiction. But the court scene is based on a scene from a local TV show, so i hope it's ok.

* * *

_10 days later;_

I was in my office on Thursday afternoon, the day before the first day of the trial for Brittany's case. I was ready for this and I've been calling Brittany all day to see if she was ready too but she hadn't answered any of my phone calls. I wasn't worried though. She didn't know where her phone was whenever she was with her daughter.

I planned this case very carefully. I made a promise to the blonde that I wouldn't say anything to anyone so I didn't even ask Puck's help. Brittany trusted me with probably the most valuable thing in her life, her daughter, and I wouldn't do anything to even risk breaking my promise to her.

I had to speak with Brittany urgently about tomorrow so I decided to leave early and go find her, since she didn't respond to my calls. I grabbed my things and left the firm, heading towards Brittany's apartment.

I got to her apartment building and buzzed her apartment number downstairs a couple of times but nobody answered. I frowned and checked the time. It was 7 p.m. It was still early so maybe she was at the dance studio.

I hailed a cab and gave the driver the address. On my way there I thought about Brittany's reaction to all of this that was happening. She definitely wasn't happy at the beginning with me representing her, she was irritated all the time. But she calmed down as the days went by. We were fine and she was being open. Not entirely but it was still progress. She was still nervous though, she definitely didn't want to lose her daughter.

I learnt a lot of things about Brittany but I didn't learn the reasons behind some of her actions. And like I promised, I didn't push her to tell me if it wasn't necessary. She was being exposed enough as it was, I didn't want to put any more pressure on her.

I thought the fact that I didn't have a bad reaction to what she told me helped bringing her walls down. It was like she expected me to judge her but I didn't and that brought us closer.

When the cab arrived I threw him some money and got out. I made my way in the dance studio and skipped that annoying receptionist and headed immediately to the office. I knocked on the door and when I heard Brittany saying 'come in' I thanked God that I found her. I opened the door and got in.

I was about to speak but I closed my mouth shut at the sight in front of me. Brittany was sitting on the big couch, her long legs bent and her bare feet resting on the coffee table in front of her. She was wearing shorts and a tank top, her two tattoos that I knew about were on display. Alice was sleeping between the tall blonde's legs, curled on her mother, hugging Brittany's thigh and using it as a pillow as half of her body was on Brittany's stomach. It was a rather uncomfortable position but I figured that Alice had the flexibility Brittany did. Brittany was wearing only on her one ear headphones and had in her left hand a scientific calculator and her right hand was on the armrest of the couch, which she used to write on her papers, probably solving mathematical problems for geniuses.

"Hey." Brittany said, breaking my staring while pulling the earpiece out of her ear. I quickly glanced up to her.

"You're going to wake her up!" I whisper-yelled frowning. The blonde chuckled.

"Don't worry. She sleeps like a woodworker." She said, smiling at her daughter and ran a hand through the little girl's blonde locks.

"A woodworker?" I frowned, still whispering.

"Yeah." Brittany frowned too, like I should know what she was talking about. But the look in her eyes told me that she was playing with me. I smiled at her. _Is this woman for real?_

"Anyway." I said, my voice back to its normal volume."What are you doing? Are you busy?" I asked and tried to ignore the long legs that were on full display right in front of me.

"I'm doing fluid dynamics." She told me seriously while she grabbed her iPod to shuffle on it. I eyed her carefully.

"Did you just say 'fluid'?" I asked teasingly and she laughed, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. If that was the result every time I was acting like a teenage boy around Brittany then so be it.

"Oh my god, Lopez." She said and rolled her eyes but smirked anyway."I'm working! Fluid dynamics is _mathematics._" She gestured with her pen at her papers. "Actually it's physics but physics is nothing without maths so…" She trailed off, her tongue playing with her piercing. But when I didn't respond she looked at me and saw the teasing that my eyes hid."You know what? Forget about it." She blushed and I laughed out loud.

"You're such a nerd." I said and she chuckled. She was in a relatively good mood and I hated to ruin it for her but I had to. "So…" I trailed off after a few seconds." I've been calling you all day." I stated then.

"Oh." Brittany said and looked around, probably looking for her phone."I'm sorry." She said and winced apologetically. I shrugged.

"It's ok. I just wanted to talk to you about tomorrow." I told her. Brittany nodded and put her things on the couch next to her.

"What's up?" She asked turning serious. I took a sit on a chair opposite her and sighed, turning serious too.

"Ok. So, tomorrow you have a fight to give Brittany." I told her and she frowned."You're going to be exposed, vulnerable, they're going to insult you and they're going to doubt your ability to raise your daughter properly." I added and she looked down at her daughter with a mixture of sadness and anger at the situation, running her hand up and down Alice's back."You're going to get angry and that will not help at all, so whenever you feel like that I want you to remember why you're doing this. You're doing it for your daughter. You are fighting for her. This is your battle to give, ok? I'm just helping you." I told her. I knew she felt helpless, like she couldn't help her daughter but that was far from the truth."And remember that whatever happens I'll be there with you." I finished. She looked at me and nodded. I saw the appreciation in her eyes but she said nothing."And I want you to be sober." I added then. She frowned.

"I'm not an alcoholic." She defended.

"I know you're not, I say this to everyone. Sometimes people drink when they are stressed out and I want you to be sober. Also, I want you to answer to the questions truthfully." I said and looked at her pointedly with arched eyebrows. She nodded and looked down at her daughter again, her tongue playing with her piercing. "And I want you to take off your piercings and hide your tattoos." I finished. She quickly glanced up at me.

"You are kidding right?" She chuckled darkly.

"No." I frowned."Look, I like them, I really do. And I also know that your tattoos mean something to you. But not to the jury. And they don't really care. Let's not give them any more reasons to take your daughter away from you." I told her and she scoffed. I sighed."Are you seriously willing to risk your daughter for two piercings and tattoos, Brittany?" I asked, throwing my last card and smiled satisfied when she shook her head 'no'."I'm glad we're on the same page then." I said teasingly with a smirk.

"You're so annoying." She mumbled playfully and rolled her eyes, causing me to laugh out loud."But _he _knows that I have them." She frowned then, effectively killing my laughter. I felt a weird feeling, that seemed a lot like jealousy, course through me, because a douchebag knew about Brittany's tattoos and I didn't. But it was irrational so I hid it.

"It's not illegal." I said."Let's just not rub it in their faces, ok?" I asked and she nodded."It's not like they are going to undress you to make sure." I said and looked away, thinking that it wouldn't be such a bad idea. But only if it was me in the room. Brittany cleared her throat and I turned to look at her. The look she sent me let me know that she knew what I was thinking about. I was attracted to her and I thought that she knew it. I blushed but I ignored it. "And one last thing." I said then."I want you to wear something formal." I told her.

"Like you?" She asked and eyed me. I was wearing a tight skirt and a shirt.

"Yes." I simply said, ignoring the flushing on my cheeks that her gaze was causing me and hoped Brittany wouldn't notice. But the smirk she was trying to hide killed my hopes. I stared at her lips a moment longer.

"So, you like my piercings and tattoos?" She asked me and my eyes widen. _Can she read minds too?_ I thought but then I remembered that _I _told her that I liked them. I mentally scolded myself. I looked up at her and shrugged. I really liked the blonde more than just a friend, it wasn't news to me but she was my client and that'd be wrong. Besides, she never showed any signs what she liked me back. She hummed in response and shifted her daughter further up on her body, effectively showing me her tiger tattoo. It was really impressive, a tiger with blue eyes and a jungle in the background, starting from the middle of her thigh and disappearing under her shorts. I probably stared at it for long because she spoke up. "Tigers are fighters." She told me and gesture towards her left thigh where her tiger tattoo was and I looked up and nodded in understanding. I knew that Brittany was definitely a fighter and I didn't even know her whole story.

"Thanks." I told her and she looked at me questioningly."For telling me." I added and gestured towards her thigh too. I guessed that she didn't tell people about her tattoos often. Or ever. I felt happy because she was trusting me once again. She nodded at me and smiled weakly. She looked down at her daughter and sighed. She traced her finger around the little blonde's face, tucking a strand of hair behind a tiny ear.

"I can't lose her." Brittany whispered.

"Hey." I said softly to get her to look at me. When she did I continued."It's difficult but I promise you I'll do anything that I can so your daughter stays with you." I told her honestly and she nodded appreciatively at me with a weak smile. I couldn't promise that she wouldn't lose her but I promised the next best thing. And I meant it, I'd do anything that I could.

…

_The next day;_

I was leaning against the railing outside the courthouse waiting for Brittany. I really wished everything would be ok. The blonde would be so devastated if they took her daughter away from her. And it was so unfair too. My thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind me.

"Hey."

I turned and was met with cat-like blue eyes looking back at me. Brittany looked so tired but determined at the same time.

"Hey." I smiled softly at her. I looked at her outfit and saw that she was wearing a black tight knee-length skirt and a light blue shirt, making her eyes look even more beautiful. She had her hair in a high ponytail and her piercings were gone. I've never seen her like this before but I thought that whatever the blonde was to wear, she would still look gorgeous. Without her piercings she was just a different kind of gorgeous, not bad different though. Actually, she looked hot too in these clothes but those were inappropriate thoughts for the situation so I ignored them with difficulty. She looked nervous as well so I decided to ease her tension a little. "You look nice." I teased her with a smirk and eyed her up and down not so discreetly. But I wasn't entirely joking and she knew it because she groaned to hide her blush and tugged at her shirt.

"I can't believe you made me wear these shitty excuses for clothes."She rolled her eyes and I chuckled at her. She soon turned serious again though. She was staring at me and I started feeling uncomfortable. After several awkward seconds she spoke. "Did you mean what you said yesterday?" She asked me. Her face was unreadable and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"I said a lot of things yesterday." I said and side-eyed her, wanting her to explain.

"That this is _my _battle to give."She said quietly and looked away from me. I thought that Brittany didn't just _want _to fight for her daughter but she _needed _to. Like that was what she had been doing forever. If the tiger on her left thigh was any indication. I smiled sympathetically at her.

"Yes. And it'll be hard. You have to not let them bring you down." I told her."You have to stay strong and keep believing that _you _are the best for your daughter, because they're going to tell you otherwise." I finished. She eyed me for a few moments, studying my face.

"Do _you_ think I'm not good enough for my daughter?" She asked, her face unreadable. I frowned.

"I did not say that." I answered.

"Yeah, but do you believe that?" She insisted.

"Of course not."I sighed. "It's the opposite actually, I saw you interacting with your daughter, I saw it in your eyes that you love her more than anything and that you would do anything for her, no matter what. And that's enough reason for me to believe that you're the best mother a child could ever ask for." I stated confidently, watching her eyes water but she willed the tears away.

"Santana." Brittany sighed breathlessly."This means so much to me." She whispered and looked down biting her bottom lip. My heart flutter inside my chest when she called my name. I guessed she wanted someone else who knew about her to believe that she was worthy of her daughter too, not only herself. And she definitely was. I smiled and ducked my head, trying to find her blue eyes.

"That's good, Britt. Cause I mean it." I said softly. She looked up at me with wide eyes. Only then I realized what I said but I didn't let panic overcome me and I tried to keep my cool.

"You called me Britt." She said, her face once again unreadable. I shrugged innocently.

"Yeah, is it ok?"I asked, my exterior was calm but inside I was panicking. She nodded and smiled weakly at me and I felt relief replace the panic. "And you called me by my first name! Finally!" I exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. She smiled bigger this time and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I did." She said." Don't let it get into your head though." She smirked at me. _Aaaand she's back, _I thought happily. I smiled at her and nodded.

"So, where's the kid?" I asked her, wanting to know who was watching Alice when she wasn't with her.

"She's with my sister."She said and I nodded.

"You ready to do this?" I asked and gestured towards the entrance of the courthouse. She turned serious too and nodded.

"Yeah." She said. The determination back in her beautiful blue eyes.

…

"Please proceed to the examination of the first witness, Mr. Anderson." The judge addressed the applicant's attorney.

"Thank you, your honor." Blaine said. I always hated that guy with his thick eyebrows and weird bow ties that worked at the same law firm as Quinn. He stood up and stepped forward."I call the witness Sam Evans." He said. I watched as a blonde guy with the biggest lips I have ever seen in my life stood up and went to the stand. I glanced at Brittany beside me, her face was blank but her shoulders were tensed. "What is your name?" Blaine asked.

"Sam Evans." Trouty mouth said.

"Do you know Brittany Pierce?" Blaine asked. _Yes, Brittany's last name is Pierce, I know that now._

"Yes."

"How do you know her?"

"We were neighbors in Chicago, fifteen years ago." Sam said. I noticed that the two of them weren't even making eye contact.

"What was the nature of your relationship with Brittany?" Blaine asked.

"We were in a romantic relationship." Sam said and Brittany scoffed silently but when I turned to look at her she looked away.

"How long did that relationship last?"

"Four years." Sam said.

…

"_Tell me about your past relationship with him." I told her and kept taking notes._

"_We were neighbors back in Chicago and friends. Then when I was 18 I moved here in New York and a year later he moved too and we got together. We were together for four years and when I was 23 I fell pregnant. When I told him he left me." She said, her voice and face now expressionless, her legs and arms still crossed. I wondered how this guy even had a case if he just left her when she was still pregnant. But I knew something else was going on so I let it go for the time being._

"_So, you are 27." I stated after I made the calculation. She arched an eyebrow and nodded._

"_You?" She asked me. I smiled at her._

"_I can't see how my age is relevant."I said in my lawyer voice. She rolled her eyes and shrugged._

"_You want me to trust you and you can't even tell me how old you are?" She teased me and I chuckled._

"_I'm 28 if you must know." I smirked at her. She smirked back and started playing with her piercing again, effectively drawing my attention to her lips._

…

"Did you have a child from this relationship?" His attorney asked.

"Yes." He said with determination. "The child which I'm here today for." He stated and looked around confidently.

"How old is the child?" Blaine asked.

"Three years old."

"What is the child's name?"

"Alice." Sam said with a smile.

"Did you have this child in a legal marriage?" Blaine asked.

"No." Sam shook his head. "We had her in the relationship I had with Brittany Pierce."

"Did you continue having a relationship with her when the child was born?"

"No."

"And the reason?"

"I got married."

"And now what do you request from the jury?"

"My child's custody." Sam answered like it was obvious.

"And the reason? Because you don't trust the mother?" Blaine asked and I frowned.

"Objection, your honor."I spoke up. "Mr. Anderson is trying to guide the witness." I said. The judge looked at me and nodded.

"Sustained." She said and turned to Blaine."Mr. Anderson, please stop trying to guide the witness." Blaine turned to Sam again.

"Why do you want the child's custody?" He asked again.

"Because the child is mine and because I believe that her mother can't raise her properly." Sam said lamely. I could feel Brittany's anger oozing out of her. I turned and mouthed 'Ali' at her and she nodded looking away.

"How do you know that she can't raise her properly?" Blaine asked.

"She is a prostitute." Sam stated.

…

"_I was fourteen." She said like she was challenging me. I wondered where this was going."I really needed the money and one man offered me $200 because I was a virgin. That's how it started."_

* * *

A.N.: If you're still with me be prepared for a fierce!lawyer!Santana in the next chapter. And if you don't hate me that much and let me know with a review what you think and I might upload sooner.


	7. Chapter 7

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 7:

A.N.: So here is the next chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews, it makes me really happy that people like my story. Also, something I forgot to mention on the last chapter is that the parts that are in _italics _are obviously flashbacks, and it's the same in this chapter too.

* * *

_Her blue eyes were staring back at me, like she was daring me to say the wrong thing. I kept my face blank though. I honestly thought Brittany had a shady _past_. Apparently not. But I said I wouldn't judge her. That's why I tried to block out my feelings and focused instead on my job._

"_And Sam knows you're a prostitute?" I asked her. She eyed me for a few seconds, eyes still daring._

"_I fucking _was_ a prostitute!" She then exclaimed. I was shocked by her outburst but I hid it. I noticed that she got angry again, her arms crossed, as if she was shielding herself from me. I stared at her for long moments and she stared back, like we were having a silent conversation with our eyes. But the messages she was sending me were confusing. It was like she wanted me to _not_ accept her but pleading at the same time for me to understand._

"_You said you _were_?" I asked her after a while for confirmation. She nodded._

"_I was a _prostitute_ until I moved in New York from Chicago with my sister, nine years ago." She said angrily, not looking at me. The weight in my chest lightened at this new information. So, that was why she was so guarded and untrusting towards people. I was sure the blonde had her reasons for doing that. I just knew that she didn't become a prostitute because she liked it. And I just couldn't bring myself to look at her differently. She was still perfect in my eyes._

"_Brittany…" I trailed off sighing. She looked at me and I continued."Why are you so aggressive towards me?" I wondered and she looked away again._

"_I just didn't want you to find out like that." She said. I tilted my head to the side._

"_I'm sorry about that but I'm here to help you, ok? I know about being exposed and I hate that he's using this against you to take your daughter away from you. It's unfair." I said softly and when she looked at me again, her face softened and I continued."I'm definitely not judging you, I don't even know your reasons. So please, I'm asking you to be calm with me about this. I'm on your side." She nodded hesitantly at me. "Ok. So, what about your sister?" I asked her._

"_What about her?" She frowned._

"_Can I talk to her?" I dared to ask._

"_No!" Brittany shouted as she stood up."She doesn't know what I've been doing! It's been nine years, you can't tell her now!" She exclaimed pointing her finger at me._

"_Brittany, calm down." I told her and gesture for her to sit down again. When she did I continued."How can she not know? You lived together in Chicago, right?" I asked._

"_Yeah, but…" She trailed off. I waited for her to continue."But we never talked about it. I mean, I brought the money home and that was it. Maybe she had her suspicions but she never said anything." She said and shrugged. I wondered why Brittany had to bring the money home. What about her parents? But I didn't think she'd want to tell me so I changed the subject._

"_Ok. So, what is Sam's relationship with Alice?" I asked._

"_They don't have a relationship. I haven't spoken to him in three years. And he hasn't seen Ali since she was born. Actually he only saw her once, when he acknowledged paternity." She frowned again. So this was why Brittany didn't want Ali meeting new people without her. Or maybe because she was protecting her from old clients. And she was one of those people who never asked for help. So she probably was pregnant and all alone, I couldn't imagine how difficult that could've been for her._

…

"Proceed to the cross examination, Ms. Lopez." The judge said.

"Thank you, your honor."I said as I stood up and made my way towards the stand. "Mr. Evans, you acknowledged paternity just after the child's birth." I half-stated half-asked with a strong voice.

"Yes."

"Since your child was born, have you ever given any amount of money to her mother for the child?" I asked him.

"No, I haven't." Sam shook his head.

"Since you knew the child was yours and since you acknowledged paternity, why haven't you ever paid for her?" I asked him and he looked away. There was a silence and when he didn't answer I continued. "What was your relationship with your child as a father? Did you contact her, did you take care of her? In other words, was your relationship with your child the relationship that a parent should have with their child?" I asked him. I thought the way I looked at him made him uncomfortable.

"No." He answered looking away again.

"No." I echoed and nodded my head."Why didn't you contact her?" I wondered.

"Because her mother was in the middle." Sam answered still not looking at me.

"What do you mean?" I wondered, feigning interest like I didn't know."Did she prevent you from seeing her?" I asked.

"No, but…" He trailed off and shifted uncomfortably.

…

"_Sugar doesn't know about Sam?" I asked and she shook her head 'no'. I frowned."How is that even possible?" I wondered._

"_We weren't really showing that we were together. I think he was ashamed of me, like I had a big neon sign on my forehead saying 'whore'." She said frowning. I frowned too. _What an asshole, _I thought. Brittany was perfect in my eyes and I didn't even know the reason why she started having sex for money._

…

"But what?" I prompted.

"Her mother is a prostitute." He finally let out frowning."And I don't want to have anything to do with her." He stated strongly.

"You should mind your words, Mr. Evans." I told him calmly but warningly."She _is _a prostitute or she _was?_" I asked him.

"Isn't it the same thing?" Sam shrugged with a sarcastic smile.

"No, it's not. There's a big difference." I answered immediately, shaking my head."Well?" I prompted him and arched an eyebrow.

"Who knows? Maybe she still is." He said and shrugged again. I could imagine Brittany's clenched fist and flared nostrils but I didn't turn to look at her.

"The word 'maybe' can't stand in court." I told him firmly."Is she or is she not?" I asked again with arched eyebrows.

"I don't know." He said irritated and looked away.

"You don't know."I echoed his words again and nodded."Well, I am telling you that the fact you didn't have any contact with your child because you didn't know where she was is not valid."I stated looking directly at him with a not so friendly look and he looked away again." And if you really wanted to, you could learn from the mother herself." I said and Sam nodded hesitantly.

"Yes." He said. There was a brief silence.

"Tell me something, Mr. Evans." I started again and stepped even closer. "If you were to see your child today, would you recognize her?" I asked.

"No." He said, looking guilty.

"No." I echoed and looked at the jury."He wouldn't recognize her, although his child is three years old." I stated. I turned back to him. "Mr. Evans, after three years away from your child, why did you decide to claim her custody now?" I asked him.

"To protect her from her mother." He said, looking unsure. I nodded like I knew he was going to say this.

"And I am telling you that the reason you are here today is because your wife is infertile." I told him. I knew if I turned around I would see Brittany's eyes comically wide. I didn't say that to her beforehand because I didn't want her to go find Sam before this trial and do something reckless, like kill him. I just hoped she would be calm in court.

"N-no." He chuckled nervously. "No, that is not the reason." He said shakily. I made my point so I quickly changed the subject.

"Do you know if your child had any health problems?" I asked him.

"No." He said, frowning in question.

"I am telling you that if you really cared you would learn that your child had a heart problem a few months after she was born." I told him and tried to ignore the image of Brittany's sad expression that was on her face when she told me this.

"This is the first time I've heard about this."Sam shrugged.

"I am telling you that you didn't know because you didn't want to have any relationship or contact with your child all this time." I stated. Sam was looking around nervously.

"No, it's not like that." He said shakily and shook his head. I turned to the judge.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." I said and went back to my sit. Brittany threw me a glare but I ignored her. I'd deal with her later. At the moment I wanted to do my job right. And I was doing a pretty good job if you go by Sam's intimidated look on his face.

"Is there re-examination?" The judge asked Blaine.

"No, your honor." Blaine replied.

"You can go, witness." The judge told Sam and he left the stand."Do you have any other witnesses Mr. Anderson?" She asked Blaine. He stood up.

"I have the witness Finn Hudson." He said.

"I'm calling the witness Finn Hudson." The judge said. A tall man stood up and stepped on the stand."Proceed to the examination of the witness, Mr. Anderson." The judge said.

"What is your name?" Blaine asked.

"Finn Hudson."

"Do you know Brittany Pierce?" He then asked.

"Yes." Finn said. I turned to look at Brittany and she looked at me too.

…

"_So, when was the last time you had sex with someone in exchange for money?" I asked Brittany. I thought this was an uncomfortable subject, judging from Brittany's shifting at every question, but we powered through it._

"_I really don't remember."She said."It was nine years ago though."_

"_Are you sure?" I asked her and she frowned._

"_Yes, I'm _sure."_She said irritated."I have a kid and I don't even need the money!" She protested._

"_So, the last time was in Chicago?" I asked, ignoring her irritation._

"_Yes." She said in a strong voice._

"_Brittany, I'm asking you again. Are you sure?" I asked and looked at her pointedly."You haven't found yourself in any situations that could be misunderstood?"_

"_What are you talking about?" She frowned."One night stands?" She wondered and I shrugged. Brittany shrugged too."Uh, no." She shook her head slowly, looking around uncomfortably and I found it weird._

"_Are you sure?" I asked her again._

"_Yes!"She exclaimed."The last time I had sex with someone was with Sam almost four years ago, ok?" She asked exasperated and blushed embarrassed. _Oh, wow! Four years. _I didn't want to make her more uncomfortable so I let it go, doing my best to get those disturbing images out of my head._

…

"How do you know her?" Blaine asked.

"Back from Chicago. She's a known prostitute, I've known her for years." Finn said. I hoped Brittany would stay calm. This trial was definitely testing her limits.

"When did you see Brittany for the last time?" Blaine asked.

"Two weeks ago." Finn said and Brittany shook her head.

"Where did you meet?"

"At her apartment." Every time Finn spoke, Brittany's anger was more evident, I just hoped she could keep her composure.

"At her apartment." Blaine echoed, feigning interest. "Why did you meet at her apartment?" He then asked.

"We had sexual intercourse." Finn stated confidently.

"That's bullshit!" Brittany finally exploded as expected, standing up beside me."He's lying, I don't even know the guy!" She exclaimed pointing at Finn. I grabbed her arm and tugged her down, mouthing 'Ali' at her and ignoring the buzzing that our skin to skin contact caused me. She huffed and sat back again in defeat while the judge was ordering quiet.

"Continue, Mr. Anderson." The judge said.

"After the last time you saw Brittany Pierce, two weeks ago, did you see her again?" Blaine asked.

"No." Finn said."She told me to meet again but I didn't go." He added. I turned in time to catch Brittany's eye and I sent her a warning look. She shook her head and leaned back in her chair.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." Blaine said and took his sit.

"Proceed to the cross examination, Ms. Lopez." The judge told me and I stood up.

"Thank you, your honor." I told her while walking towards the stand. I turned to Finn."Do you still stand by what you said earlier, that you and Ms. Brittany Pierce had sexual intercourse in exchange for money, two weeks ago?" I asked him. I hoped Brittany could keep her composure.

"Yes." Finn answered.

"And this happened at the apartment she's living in." I half-stated half -asked.

"Yes."

"What is the address?" I asked him.

"33, St. Michael's Street." He said.

"The floor?" I asked and he looked around nervously.

"I don't remember." He replied.

"Before that time, have you visited her?" I asked.

"No."

"After?"

"No."

"So, the one and only time you met her was two weeks ago." I said.

"Yes." Finn said."She told me to go again but I didn't."

"And I am telling you that everything you said here today is a lie." I told him firmly.

"I said the truth." He said, frowning at me.

"The first time you're seeing Ms. Brittany Pierce is here, today." I said and pointed at her."And you've never met her before."

"No, it's not like this. I've known her for years." Finn stated stubbornly. I turned back to the judge.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." I said and took my sit again.

"Is there re-examination, Mr. Anderson?" The judge asked.

"No, your honor." Blaine said.

"You can go, witness."The judge said. She turned to look at me."How many witnesses do you have, Ms. Lopez?" She asked me.

"Three, your honor." I said.

"Proceed with the first witness." The judge said. I stood up.

"I call the witness Brittany Pierce." I said and glanced at Brittany and sent her a pleading look to cooperate with me. She nodded her head and I watched as she stood up and went to the stand.

"Proceed with the examination of the witness."The judge said again. I nodded and made my way towards Brittany.

"What is your name?" I asked her.

"Brittany Pierce."

"Do you work?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

…

"_So, are you a math teacher?" I asked._

"_No." Brittany shook her head. I frowned in confusion._

"_But you said you are a mathematician." I said and she chuckled._

"_I am." She shrugged. I frowned again._

"_Brittany, you're not helping me." I said and she sighed._

"_I own that dance studio."She said. I stared at her."It's mine." She told me again._

"_I don't understand. You were a prostitute because you needed the money and then you own a big dance studio?" I asked frowning. Brittany sighed again._

"_I created a website a really long time ago when I was studying maths and I was solving exercises for students for money. Now it's a really big one, like there are a hundred people working on my website so I bought the dance studio." She shrugged. _Definitely a genius, _I thought."But we can't tell them that." She added._

"_Why?" I asked._

"_Not a good idea." She mumbled looking around and I got the message. _The website is illegal.

…

"I own a dance studio." Brittany said.

"Where did you work before?" I asked.

"I was…" She trailed off and looked around. When she looked at me again I nodded reassuringly."I was a prostitute, in Chicago."

"You said 'was'." I stated.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Did you stop working as a prostitute?"

"Yes. Nine years ago, when I left Chicago." She answered.

"And since then, have you ever worked as a prostitute again?" I asked.

"No. Never." Brittany shook her head.

"Why?" I asked her.

"Because I wanted a better life." She said frowning. I could see the fire in her eyes. I nodded.

"Was your child born in a legal marriage?" I asked her then.

"No." She sighed."She was born from my relationship with Sam Evans." She said.

"Sam Evans is the father of this child?"

"Yes."

"Did he acknowledge paternity?"

"Yes. Just after the child's birth." Brittany said.

"Did the father keep in touch with the child all this time?" I asked.

"No." She shook her head.

"Did he show any interest?" I asked.

"No." She said again."I just got a notice that he claims Alice's custody." She frowned, anger evident in her eyes but she kept her composure. I could tell that she didn't want to answer these questions but she had to.

"Did he ever give to you any amount of money for the child?"

"No." She said, closed to exasperated."He had no communication with us." She was still frowning. I nodded.

"Do you have anything else to tell us?" I asked her knowingly.

"Yes." She nodded with determination.

"We hear you." I told her and nodded encouragingly. She turned to the jury.

"I am not a prostitute." She stated. There was a brief silence."This chapter closed for me a really long time ago." She said.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." I said and nodded my head at Brittany, letting her know that she did well.

"Proceed to the cross examination, Mr. Anderson." The judge said as I was getting my sit again. Blaine stood up.

"Thank you, your honor." He said and walked to Brittany."You say you are not a prostitute." He addressed Brittany and she nodded narrowing her eyes."You mean officially." He stated and I frowned."But you can probably be secretly. For example, to have some clients that you are visiting secretly, without being seen by anyone." He said, a little too cockily.

"Objection, your honor." I spoke up before Brittany could punch the guy."Mr. Anderson, instead of examining the witness, is accusing her." I said.

"Sustained." The judge said to me and then turned to Blaine."Mr. Anderson, please restrict yourself to your questions and stop drawing your own conclusions." She said. Blaine sucked his lips and nodded.

"I apologize." He said and turned to Brittany again."Why did you deny giving the custody to the father?" He asked."If you love your child, then you'd want the best for her. You have criminal records, so you are not the best for your child." He finished. Brittany's face contorted in anger and her fist clenched. This was definitely a sensitive subject for her but I didn't want her temper to get the best of her and do something she'd later regret.

"Objection, your honor." I spoke up once again."Mr. Anderson is trying to sow doubts in our minds." I said.

"Sustained." The judge said."Continue, Mr. Anderson."

"Do you know Mr. Finn Hudson?" Blaine asked irritated.

"No. This is the first time I see him." Brittany said shaking her head.

"And I am telling you that you know him."He said."And that he visited you at your apartment, two weeks ago." He added."And you had sexual intercourse in exchange for money." He finished. Brittany frowned in anger.

"No." She shook her head."He's lying. He never came to my apartment." She said.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." Blaine said and sat down.

"Is there re-examination, Ms. Lopez?" The judge asked me.

"No, your honor." I answered.

"You can go, witness." The judge said to Brittany. She made her way to my side again looking at me not so softly and I was looking back at her with the same look." I call the witness Mr. Ronald Carter." The judge said. An old man with white hair and beard made his way to the stand.

* * *

A.N.: So, what do you think about this chapter?


	8. Chapter 8

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 8:

A.N.: So many reviews and follows and favorites. Thank you so much! Also, the part in _italics_ at the startis a flashback. Enjoy!

* * *

_I was descending the stairs of Brittany's apartment building, heading towards the exit when the door opened and said blonde appeared. I stopped dead in my tracks. Brittany was holding a very active Alice in her arms, tugging her by her neck to move but the blonde stayed still staring at me._

"_Mommy time!" The little blonde shouted in Brittany's ear and put her tiny hands on her mother's face, effectively breaking our staring contest. The tall blonde took both of her daughter's hands with one of her own and sent her a warning look._

"_I said ok, Ali. Please don't say it again." She said in a not so soft voice and Alice took the message and pouted but relaxed anyway. Brittany turned to look at me again and I noticed her tired eyes. She frowned at me."What are you doing here?" She asked. I descended the rest of the stairs and stood in front of her. I sent a wink and a smile in Alice's direction and she blushed and hid her face in her mother's neck, mumbling 'Tana', causing both Brittany and I to widen our eyes. I recovered first though._

"_Wow Brittany." I breathed and she threw me a questioning look."Your three year old daughter can say my name and you can't." I teased her. She smiled weakly at me while her daughter giggled._

"_I can." She said." But maybe I don't want to?" She wondered and I narrowed my eyes._

"_Seriously?" I questioned in disbelief and she smirked at me. But then her face turned serious again._

"_What's going on?" She asked looking around. I looked around too before answering._

"_I had to talk to some people." I said and sent her a knowing look. Brittany nodded in understanding._

…

"Proceed to the examination of the witness, Ms. Lopez." The judge told me and I stood up.

"Thank you, your honor." I said and made my way to the witness."What is your name?" I asked.

"Ronald Carter." He said.

"Where do you work?"

"I'm retired." He said."I was a lieutenant in the police."

"Now what do you do?" I asked.

"I'm the head of a team of private investigators."

"Do you know Brittany Pierce?"

"Yes."

"How do you know her?"

"We live in the same apartment building."

"What is the address?"

"33, St. Michael's Street."

"Do you see her often?"

"Every day."

"Have you ever seen any men going in Brittany's apartment?"

"No. Never."

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." I said and went to take my sit again.

"Proceed with the cross examination, Mr. Anderson."The judge said. Blaine stood up.

"Mr. Carter, you were a lieutenant in the police. So, you are observing and perceptive." He started while walking towards him."However, couldn't Ms. Brittany Pierce be able to accept visits at her apartment without anyone seeing her? Couldn't she be taking the right precautions? " He asked.

"No." Ronald said.

"No?" Blaine wondered."How do you know that?"

"My job is around the clock. I return to my apartment sometimes midnight, sometimes two or three in the morning and other times five or six." He said."If anything was going on I'd realize it."

"So, you agree with me that she could be taking precautions." Blaine said.

"I think at some point she would be seen if this was happening." Ronald retorted back.

"It depends on her ability to stay unnoticed." Blaine insisted and Brittany huffed.

"Objection, your honor." I said."The witness has already answered."

"Sustained." The judge said.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." Blaine said bitterly and sat down.

"Is there re-examination, Ms. Lopez?" The judge asked me.

"No, your honor." I answered.

"You can go, witness." The judge said."I call the witness Mr. Adam Hunt." The judge called and another old man with white hair and beard came in. I stood and made my way to the witness.

"What is your name?"

"Adam Hunt."

"Where do you work?" I asked him.

"I'm a child education inspector and I work for the government."

"Do you know Ms. Brittany Pierce?"

"Yes."

"How do you know her?"

"We live in the same apartment building." Adam said with a small smile at Brittany's direction.

"What is the address?" I asked.

"33, St. Michael's Street." He said.

"For how many years do you live in the same apartment building?"

"Nine." He said."Since she moved in."

"Does Brittany live alone?" I asked.

"No." He said. There was a brief silence.

"No?" I prompted him.

"No. She lives with her child."

"What is your opinion about Brittany?" I asked.

"She's quiet." He shrugged."She doesn't bother anyone, she doesn't cause troubles."

"Have you ever noticed any suspicious activities at Brittany's apartment?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He questioned me.

"Have you ever seen men going in and out of her apartment?"

"No. Never."

"Why are you here?" I asked him." Do you want to tell us something about the case that we are examining?" I asked knowingly.

"Yes."

"We hear you." I nodded at him.

"If Ms. Brittany Pierce was accepting visits at her apartment from clients in exchange for money, I would be the first to report her."

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm a child education inspector, as I said earlier." Adam started. "I care for the children's physical and mental right development, so I wouldn't accept anything else for any child. And Ms. Brittany Pierce has a three year old child." He finished.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." I said and took my sit beside Brittany's.

"Cross examination." The judge said. Blaine stood up and stepped forward.

"I don't doubt what you are saying, feeling and doing about the children as an inspector."Blaine started."But, you will agree with me that this woman could be a prostitute secretly."

"Objection, your honor." I interrupted."Mr. Anderson is trying to sow doubts about the truth of the witness's words." I said.

"Sustained." The judge nodded."Continue, Mr. Anderson."

"And I am telling you that she could be a prostitute secretly." Blaine stated again. Brittany huffed and flared her nostrils. I turned to her again and shook my head. Adam chuckled humorlessly.

"I know Ms. Pierce very well, and I am telling you again that I've never noticed such thing." Adam said with a not so friendly smile.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor." Blaine said and took his sit. I could tell that he wasn't happy.

"Is there re-examination, Ms. Lopez?" The judge asked.

"No, your honor." I answered.

"You can go, witness." The judge said."Are there any other witnesses, Ms. Lopez?"

"No, your honor." I answered again. When the judge dismissed the court I turned to Brittany."You ok?" I asked her. She looked around and then turned to me.

"Fucking _infertile?_" She finally let out quietly but definitely angrily."Why didn't you tell me about this?" She demanded frowning. I sighed.

"What would you do if I had told you?" I asked and looked at her pointedly. She huffed and looked away from me."Because I didn't want you to do what you just thought, Brittany." I said and stood up, starting to gather my things. She huffed and stood too.

"I don't need you to babysit me, Santana."She frowned at me and I turned to her.

"I'm not babysitting you." I told her firmly."I'm your counselor and I suggest you take my advice seriously and stay away from Sam." I said with finality. She huffed again, looking around."It's for _your _benefit."I shrugged. She looked at me again and sighed.

"Now what?" She questioned.

"Next time we plead and then we wait for the decision." I told her and she nodded. She turned to leave and I sighed turning back to gather my things. The blonde was so difficult sometimes but when it came to the trial I'd stand my ground. I was doing it for her anyway. I thought she was gone but I smelled her scent, vanilla and coconut, and then I felt the heat radiating from her body on my back.

"Santana." She sighed, her breath hit the back of my neck, causing goosebumps to rise all over my body. The change in her attitude was so sudden that left me in a daze. I turned around and saw that she was really close to me. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. I was pretty sure the blonde could do _anything _to me and I would still forgive her. But I didn't think she was capable of hurting me." I just never told you how thankful I am to you for doing this and I wanted you to know that." She whispered looking straight at me.

"You don't have to thank me, Britt." I told her softly and ignored my fast heartbeats at our proximity. I watched as her blue eyes wandered briefly to my lips and then back at my eyes.

"I do." She said, her voice back to normal, like she got out of a daze she'd been in."Thank you." She said again. She took two steps back to wait for me. I sighed again and turn to continue gathering my things. I'd kiss the blonde if she continued to look at me like that for a minute longer and if we weren't in court and if she wasn't my client. But those were a lot of ifs. When we got outside Brittany spoke up again. "What do you think?" She asked me and gestured towards the courthouse with her head. I sighed.

"Britt, I'm not gonna lie to you." I started softly and she looked down biting her bottom lip."Your past is a really powerful card in their hands and I know it's unfair but…"I trailed off and shrugged. When she looked at me I smiled sadly at her."It depends on how judgmental they are." I finished.

"But you owned them in there."She said frowning, effectively boosting my lawyer ego but I ignored it.

"We're gonna have to wait and see. You did everything you could, ok?" I told her softly. Although I believed that I managed to prove that she wasn't a prostitute anymore and that Finn Hudson was lying, it still didn't mean she'd win the custody. The fact that she was _once _could give the custody to Sam. So, I said nothing and just hoped that everything would be fine.

"Ok." She whispered.

…

"_Santanita, when am I gonna see you again?_" My mother whined. It was Monday afternoon and I was at the office when Maribel decided to call to bother me.

"I don't know mami, I'm really bus-"I started to say but she cut me off.

"_Busy and tired. I know_." She said and I could imagine her rolling her eyes. "_When are you coming home_?" She asked me and I huffed. Just then there was a knock on my door and I said loudly 'come in'.

"Look mami, I'm really busy right now." I said as the door opened and Brittany appeared. I arched my eyebrows at her in surprise and she waved at me. She was wearing sweats and a tank top, she probably came here straight from the dance studio. I held up one finger and she nodded. I brought my attention back to the phone and realized that Maribel was talking.

"…_married? I'm the only one from the group that doesn't have grandkids_." She whined again and I groaned while Brittany was getting a sit opposite me. I turned the conversation to Spanish.

"_I'm not getting married anytime soon, so you're gonna have to wait for grandkids_" I said. There was a brief silence.

"_Santanita_." Maribel started. "_Do you have a secret girlfriend?"_ She asked like she was asking about the weather, causing my eyes to widen and Brittany to arch an eyebrow at me. I blushed.

"_I don't have a girlfriend mami." _I said really fast. Brittany was watching me in amusement.

"_When am I going to meet her?"_ Maribel asked ignoring me. _This is not happening. _I groaned again and my mother got the message."_Ok, I'll leave you to work but promise you'll come visit us soon."_ She said. I frowned at the word 'us'. I really didn't want to see my father but I agreed anyway.

"I promise." I said and we hang up. I put the phone down and grabbed my pen, leaning my elbows on the desk. I turned my attention back to Brittany."What's up?" I asked.

"You speak Spanish?" She asked and I nodded looking around and then back at her. She smiled at me and I smiled back. "So…" She trailed off dropping her smile. I frowned at her and watched as she played with her piercing on her bottom lip."Do you want to tell me something?" She asked then and I frowned.

"No, the only thing was about Sam's wife." I told her. She was looking at me with an unreadable face for a long time and I started to get worried."Brittany?" I called her name.

"Did you tell Quinn about the case?" She asked me bluntly, the same expression still on her face. My eyes widen.

"What? No!" I exclaimed dropping my pen."Why? Why would you think that?" I asked in alarm.

"Well…" She started and looked around then back at me. "I replaced Mike today and she was looking at me weirdly during the whole class." She said. She was calm and that was weird.

"Weirdly?" I wondered. How did Quinn learn about the case? Only if Blaine said something.

"Like I killed her cat or something." Brittany shrugged."And I know for a fact that I did no such thing." She frowned and shook her head."I like cats." She added seriously, but still calm. I eyed her for a few seconds. Why was she so calm? That couldn't be good.

"I'm so sorry, Britt. I swear I didn't tell anything to anyone. But Quinn and fucking Anderson work at the same firm so maybe she heard it from there? I don't know. I'll talk to her." I told her quickly. I really didn't want this to bring Brittany's walls back up again and cause me to lose her trust. But she just nodded at me and I just had to say something. "Wait, you're not mad?" I asked and she sighed. She leaned forward in her chair.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked and showed me her tattoo that was visible on her chest. It was really beautiful, a purple flower that had blue in the background.

"A flower?" I asked lamely. She smiled weakly at me and nodded.

"It's a gladiolus. It has lots of different meanings but for me…" She trailed off and took a deep breath."For me it means honor and moral integrity and dignity." She said looking straight in my eyes causing shivers to go down my spine at the intensity of her gaze. She leaned back in her chair again. "And I gained those things back when I came to New York to do my own thing, away from _that_ life. But because _I _am not ashamed of myself and don't let what I did define me, doesn't mean that it's the same for other people too. And I just _hate _it when people judge me without even knowing my reasons. So, I keep my distance."She told me. I found myself staring at the blonde with a look of pride and adoration. But then she spoke up again."Quinn can think whatever she wants as long as she stops eyeing me like that." She warned me and continued." So, now that your friend knows that you're representing me, if you want to quit then that's ok, I guess." She said and shrugged like she didn't care but I could see the sadness in her eyes. My eyes widen in horror and shock. "Can you even do that?" She asked.

"No!" I exclaimed loudly. She was startled by my outburst but relaxed again.

"Oh, ok. You're stuck with me then." She said and winced. My eyes were still wide.

"What the hell, Britt?" I frowned."Why would I want to quit?" I wondered exasperated.

"Uh, because your friend knows that you're representing me?" She wondered unsure. "It's ok. You told me that I could trust you and I did and you helped me." She shrugged and continued."But now that your friend knows, I don't know if you're ashamed or something." She said not looking at me.

"Britt!" I whined."Will you stop talking?" I frowned at her and she frowned back."Why would I be ashamed? I'm fucking proud of you, not ashamed!" I exclaimed. She stared at me and I stared back.

"Proud?" She finally asked breathless.

"Of course!" I said, my voice still high-pitched."I'm not naïve. I might not know exactly your reasons but I know you did it for your family and that's selfless and brave. And you're the strongest person that I know, being exposed for your daughter like that is not easy." I told her honestly."And Quinn…I'll talk to her." I finished. Her face was once again unreadable."I'm not quitting." I added quietly.

"Ok." She nodded. She looked around then back at me."I have to go. I'll see you Wednesday at the court." She told me shakily. She stood up and left before I could say anything. I stayed there wondering if I said something wrong. I replayed the conversation in my mind again and thought that maybe I was too honest with her, telling her things that she couldn't handle just yet. I sighed.

I decided for the time being to deal with Quinn's weirdness. I'd go by Quinn's apartment after work to see what was going on.

…

I knocked on Quinn's apartment's door and waited until she opened.

"What the hell, Q?" I asked bluntly frowning at her.

"San?"Quinn wondered."What are you doing here?" She asked me but I ignored her and walked past her and in the living room.

"What's your problem with Brittany?" I asked once she closed the door and came into the living room too.

"I don't have a problem with her."She said defensively and I snorted.

"Then stop glaring at her. She doesn't like it and it won't be my fault if she comes onto you." I warned her.

"San, it's not like that. I swear." She said quietly and went to sit on the couch. Only then I noticed the tiredness and sadness in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly and sat next to her. Quinn took a deep shaky breath.

"Nothing. I just heard about this case and I honestly had no idea that Brittany had a kid." She said, not looking at me. I understood what this was about.

"Q…" I sighed softly."Don't do that." I told her.

"I just wanted to talk to her but that'd be weird. Like, I've never talked to her before and then just go and tell her that I think she's a great mother? I'm not a crazy person." She said and leaned back in defeat." I had no idea, San. She's been through so much, being a prostitute and got out of it, then falling pregnant and that asshole leaving her and now trying to take her daughter away from her and Brittany is still fighting for her."She kept rambling, now her eyes filling with tears."And what did I do?" She asked and choked a sob. I immediately pulled her in my arms."I..I-I j-just sent my o-own d-daughter away-y." She was a sobbing mess in my arms. I kept her while she was crying for long moments until she found her composure again and leaned back sniffling. I smiled softly at her.

"You shouldn't compare yourself to Brittany, Q." I told her quietly. "You were just a child yourself, no one is judging you for giving her for adoption. You did the best for her, you knew you couldn't raise her. That needs a lot of strength to do too." I said and watched as she wiped her tears away with her hands.

"Yeah." She breathed and smiled sadly at me."I just wanted her to be happy." She said quietly.

"I know." I told her softly. "And that shows how much you love her." I smiled at her too.

"You think so?" She asked me, looking down at her hands.

"I know so." I told her confidently and she looked at me again. I decided to lighten the mood."Now order something to eat cause feelings make me hungry." I said and rolled my eyes while kicking off my heels and settling further on the couch. Quinn knew that I was being playful because she rolled her eyes too and chuckled. She got up to do as I said and muttered a 'thank you, San', making me smile at her sincerity.

* * *

A.N.: I know I've been updating pretty fast but after Monday, I don't think I'll be able to upload that quickly. Anyway, what do you think about this chapter?


	9. Chapter 9

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 9:

I didn't speak to Brittany in three days. We were in the court room and Brittany came just before the start, so I didn't have the chance to talk to her. She looked really tired and her face was pale.

"Your plead, Mr. Anderson." The judge said. Blaine stood up and stepped forward.

"We are before a woman who was a prostitute for many years." Blaine started and Brittany took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "She was having sexual intercourse in exchange for money. So, if the custody goes to her, then perhaps the child might encounter danger." Blaine said looking around at the jury before he continued. "The former prostitutes go back to the business. Even if there's a reason or not. Even if they want to or not. Even if they need to or not." I glanced at Brittany and shook my head warningly, effectively causing her to deflate. The murmurs from the audience were not helping. "We are before a former prostitute, her child, and the father of the child." Blaine continued. I glanced at Sam and saw that he had a hopeful look on his guppy face.

"What are we going to choose? The best and the safest for the physical and mental development of the child. And that is not necessarily the mother. Because, if the mother goes back to her old job, then who guarantees us the right development of the child?" Blaine wondered. "Since the child is a girl, then she can easily give in prostitution. And since her mother had been one for years, then she would be a bad example for the child." Blaine said. Brittany's face went blank, and this was the worst, because the blonde was so unpredictable, I didn't know if she was going to punch the guy or just up and leave. "Finally, I plead the jury to give the custody to the father." Blaine finished.

I turned to Brittany and she was looking at me. Her face was expressionless but her eyes were pleading and it broke my heart.

"Your plead, Ms. Lopez." The judge interrupted our staring in each other's eyes. I stood up and stepped forward.

"I won't dwell. Besides, the truth is obvious." I stated in my lawyer voice. I ignored my feelings for Brittany's sake, I wanted to do this right. "Your honor, during the examination we heard Mr. Anderson state that Brittany Pierce is not a good mother. Well, I don't believe that there is such thing as good or bad mothers, except for some particular cases. And Ms. Pierce is definitely not one of them. Most women feel inside of them the maternal instinct." I said and turned to Brittany, she had the same look on her face. "The nature of the job that Ms. Pierce practiced in the past is not the factor that will determine if she is a good mother or not. But her actions towards her child will." I continued.

I got worried when I glanced at Brittany and saw the same expressionless face staring right at me but I ignored it to continue with my speech. "In this case, this woman, who Mr. Anderson called, haughtily and with no right, a prostitute, has proved in actions her love and care for her child, unlike the father." I said and turned to look at them. Blaine looked down and Sam looked around nervously. "The testimonies of her innocence are before you with the conviction that there will be justice for a mother who is fighting to keep her child from the father, who is trying to take it from her with made up reasons that do not stand." I said strongly. "Mr. Anderson failed to document the accusations," Blaine rolled his eyes, " because of the lack of evidence." I said pointedly looking at him. I turned to the jury. "I plead the jury to aid the effort of some women, who were once prostitutes, for their reintegration to the society. For their right to be treated as equals from the state, like every other citizen of this country. The only thing they ask is a chance, are we going to deny them that?" I asked and eyed the jury. "Thank you." I said and took my sit again. Brittany was staring ahead, her face still expressionless.

The judge dismissed the court, saying that the decision will be announced tomorrow. Brittany remained sited and I watched her until the room was almost empty.

"Brittany?" I dared to ask. She looked at me.

"Let's get out of here." She said.

…

We walked in silence all the way out of the courthouse. When we got outside I saw that Sam and Blaine were there too and I mentally cursed. This really wasn't necessary. I glanced at Brittany and saw the frown she wore.

"Please be calm." I whispered to her pleadingly and she turned to look at me, her face softening. She nodded.

"Britt I -" Sam started but the blonde cut him off.

"Don't call me that." She said and passed by him. I thanked god that she didn't want to start an argument. But Sam had other ideas. He grabbed her arm and turned her around. "What the fuck, Sam?" She barked.

"Brittany please." He started. "Just hear me out. It's not like that." He said pleadingly. Blaine was looking at the scene without doing anything. I huffed.

"Hear what?" She frowned at him angrily.

"She's my daughter too. You know she'd be better with me. You can't not know that." He said and I could tell that he actually believed that he was right.

"You're so full of shit." Brittany told him still angry, shrugging her arm out of his grasp. "You don't even know what she looks like. She's definitely not your daughter. And she definitely wouldn't be better with you." She said as she got closer to him and pointed her finger on his chest.

"You didn't make her on your own, you know." Sam retorted back lamely. Brittany scoffed.

"I raised her by _myself._" She said and pointed to herself. "The only thing _you _did was to put your fucking dick in my vagina." She told him lowly and narrowed her eyes. I cringed at her crude words and Sam huffed.

"Why does that bother you? It's your fucking job, isn't it?" He asked sarcastically. I decided that was enough and stepped in before Brittany could kill him. I grabbed her arm as she flared her nostrils and pulled her back.

"Just don't." I told her and shook my head. She huffed and turned to leave, but not before sending a death glare towards Sam.

"I'll win this case and you know it!" He shouted at Brittany's retreating form. She stopped and turned. "You shouldn't be getting angry with me Brittany, I might not let you see her ever again. I don't want bad influences near my daughter." Sam said with a smile. The blonde shook her head before turning once again and leaving, surprising me because I honestly thought that she'd at least answer him back. In my opinion, that was the worst reaction she could have, quiet Brittany couldn't be good in these situations. I huffed and turned to Blaine with an arched eyebrow.

"What?" He asked.

"How can you be so insensitive?" I asked him and gestured towards Sam. I expected Blaine to hold him back but he did nothing. He shrugged.

"It's nothing personal Santana. This is business." He told me and I huffed at him, not bothering to answer. I turned to leave too, walking fast to catch up with Brittany.

This was definitely personal. And the worst thing was that Sam's words might come true. His chances of winning were really high and it depended on the jury's decision if Brittany could see her daughter again. If the jury didn't give her the right then Sam was the one to decide whether Brittany could see her or not. My heart broke just by thinking about it.

"Can I walk you home?" She asked me once I reached her. I looked at her questioningly but she shook her head at me, silently asking me to not ask any questions so I just nodded at her and started to guide her towards my apartment. It'd be a long walk but Brittany was with me so it didn't really matter to me. After a couple of minutes the blonde pulled out of her jacket a packet of cigarettes and a lighter and lit up one. I sighed.

"Is that really necessary?" I wondered. She looked at me from the corner of her eye but said nothing before returning her gaze ahead of us and blowing out the smoke. I sighed again. I couldn't understand her emotions. Was she angry? Sad? What? "Are you mad?" I finally settled. She again said nothing while taking another drag and I sighed again. It was like the first day I met her.

We continued walking in silence until Brittany finished her cigarette and flicked it in front of her, stepping on it when she reached it. When she heard me sighing again she finally spoke up.

"I'm mad." She simply said, eyes still forward. I turned my head to look at her and she took a deep breath. "But I'm mad at myself."

"Why?" I frowned at her.

"Because I actually let them get under my skin. I actually believed that fucking gel-haired guy." She said, her face still expressionless and her voice, although she was trying to come out strong, was shaky. I frowned and grabbed her arm to stop her so she could turn to face me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. She didn't look me in the eye and she shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. I could see in her eyes the start of a breakdown.

"Maybe I'm selfish, wanting her to stay with me." She started and her eyes filled with tears. "Maybe _I am_ a bad example for her. Maybe Sam is better than me." She choked back a sob and my heart broke at the sight in front of me. But before I could speak she beat me to it. "I just love her s-so much." The tears were running down her cheeks and she was breathing hard. "I-I want-t the b- best f-for h-her. Maybe" She took another deep breath. "M-maybe h-he's the b-best for h-her." She was fully crying and before I could form a thought to comfort her she lunged into my arms and wrapped her strong arms around my neck tightly, burying her face to the crook. My eyes widen and I stood frozen for a whole minute. Her body flushed against mine and her scent surrounding me were preventing my brain to function but once it did I set my bag down and raised my arms and hugged her back around her slim waist, sighing sadly. I rubbed my hands comfortingly up and down her back while she was shaking from her sobs, ignoring my heart that was trying to get out of my chest. I figured Brittany allowed her walls to go down in front of me because I told her, although Quinn knew about the trial, I still wasn't ashamed. And why would I be?

"Britt."I told her strongly after a few minutes to get her attention. "Don't you dare." I said firmly but my voice was soft. "Did you forget already what you told me about your tattoo?" I asked and she shook her head. "Because I didn't. This is what they want, Britt. They want to bring you down. You've been so strong for so long, you can't give up on her now." I continued my encouraging words. She stopped shaking but she still held her face hidden in my neck. "Do you really believe that fucking guppy-looking asshole is better than you?" I asked and heard her sniffling, but her face stayed buried to the crook of my neck, her breath sending shivers down my spine but I ignored them. "_He _is the selfish one. He remembered her just because his wife can't have his children. Like, tell that to homosexual couples, right?" I asked with a smile to lighten the mood and she leaned back to look at me but kept her arms around my neck and I kept mine around her waist, stopping my comforting movements.

Her beautiful blue eyes were red from all the crying and my heart broke seeing her like this. Her eyes went to my lips causing my gaze to go down to her pink lips as well so I spoke again to distract myself. "And don't ask me how I learnt about that, cause if I tell you then I'm gonna have to kill you." I told her seriously and she breathed through a smile. But then she dropped her smile and bit her lip. I swallowed hard. We were really close. "He's been M.I.A. her whole life, Britt. He doesn't even know that Ali looks like she's your twin time traveler sister from 24 years ago." I whispered to her but neither of us was laughing anymore. Our lips were only a few inches away from each other's.

"Thanks." She whispered back leaning even closer, her gaze still on my lips, her breath hitting my face and making my knees go weak. _No, we can't kiss, _I thought. But I knew that if she was to go for it then I wouldn't be able to stop her. I could barely hold myself back. But she did go for it. She leaned in all the way and pressed her lips against mine for the first time. My eyes widen and my heart skipped a bit. Her touch was soft and it caused me to relax and close my eyes, exhaling through my nose. She didn't move, she just kept her soft lips against mine. But then she quickly pulled back, her eyes snapped up to mine and widened like she just realized what she did and dropped her arms from around my neck and took a step back, effectively causing my hands to drop from around her waist too. She shook her head and looked at me pleadingly. But I couldn't understand what she wanted from me. "I have to go." She told me quickly and looked around.

"Britt." I tried to calm her down but she shook her head at me again.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said and turned to leave. I watched her as she vanished down the street and I took a deep shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair. I looked up at the sky sighing. Kissing Brittany, even if it was just a touch, was amazing. It took my breath away and made my knees go weak. After that I just knew that I was in trouble.

…

Later that afternoon I was sitting on the couch in my apartment watching TV. I wasn't really watching, my mind was occupied trying to figure out Brittany. She was sending me mixed signals and I was really confused with her. I knew she wanted to kiss me. And she did. And I knew I had to talk to her but I also knew she was emotional because of all this that was happening with her daughter and I was just there to comfort her. My thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of my phone. I grabbed it from the coffee table in front of me and opened the new text message.

**From Brittany: I'm sorry about earlier**

I frowned at this.

**To Brittany: What for?**

Maybe I didn't want to know but I had to ask, to put my mind in rest. I was definitely not sorry that she kissed me. My phone buzzed again.

**From Brittany: Doesn't matter. Ali and I are going for ice cream. Wanna join?**

I was confused by her change of subject but the surprise of Brittany asking me to join her and her daughter won my attention. I definitely couldn't say no to that.

**To Brittany: Sure.**

…

We were sitting at a small table inside the ice cream parlor. Opposite me was Brittany with Alice sitting astride on the tall blonde's crossed legs, both of them facing me. Alice was playing with the plastic spoon and the ice cream in the cup and Brittany would steal it from her every now and then to eat some, making the little blonde pout.

"So, you know so much about me." Brittany started while watching her daughter playing with the spoon. "Tell me something about you." She said and glanced up briefly at me before turning her attention back to her daughter.

"What do you want to know?" I asked her. I shifted in my sit and crossed my legs while playing with my own spoon. Brittany eyed me carefully, her tongue playing with her piercing.

"I remember you told me that you know about being exposed. I was wondering what you meant by that." She said. I looked up in surprise because I didn't think that she'd remember that but apparently I was wrong.

"Uh.." I shifted again in my sit and took a mouthful of ice cream to buy me some time. "I was outed as a lesbian in high school by a TV commercial. And you know, Lima, Ohio is a really small town so…" I trailed off. It was only fair her asking me about that but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable talking about. Brittany took the spoon from her daughter again, who protested with a pout and whined, and brought some ice cream to her mouth, her eyes never leaving mine.

"You're gay?" She asked me putting her free hand in front of her mouth which was full of ice cream and then gave the spoon back to her daughter who took it eagerly and started playing again. I looked at her blankly, not sure if she was kidding or not. After long moments that I didn't respond she finally let a smirk take over her face and I huffed, looking down at my cup of ice cream.

"That wasn't funny." I mumbled and she laughed, causing the little blonde to giggle too, although I didn't think she understood why Brittany was laughing.

"Oh come on, San." The tall blonde pouted playfully looking at me through her eyelashes and I rolled my eyes at her. It wasn't lost on me that she called me 'San' but I didn't say anything. But then Brittany turned serious and took a deep breath. "Santana…" She trailed off and looked down at her daughter. I hoped that she could explain to me what was going on between us. "I uh..I-" She cut herself off and sighed. "I can't do this." She finally whispered and I sighed too. _Why did she kiss me then? _I wondered but a little squeal and a 'Tana' caused my attention to drift to the little blonde in front of me who had her hand extended, trying to reach me. My eyes widen and I looked at Brittany for permission. She nodded her head at me and I reached my right hand to grab a small pale one. But little Alice was stronger than she looked and pulled my hand in front of her and rested it there on the table, playing with my fingers. Brittany smiled at us.

"Well, this is comfortable." I said sarcastically but it definitely didn't bother me that my right hand was on the other side of the small table, in Alice's mercy. Brittany chuckled.

"Deal with it." She said and nuzzled her daughter's cheek. "My baby gets what she wants." She said, her words muffled by Alice's cheek and then placed multiple kisses there. The little blonde was too busy playing with my fingers to whine about the sloppy kisses. I smiled at them but then sadness took over Brittany's face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." The tall blonde said straightening up and shook her head. "It's just that, this might be the last time that I get to do this." She whispered and leaned down to press a soft kiss on the top of Alice's head. The little blonde leaned her head back on her mother's chest and looked at her upside down, smiling cheekily at her, still holding my hand. The tall blonde stuck out her tongue playfully at her daughter and I smiled at their interaction with adoration. Brittany looked at me again when her daughter went back to playing with my fingers. She smiled sadly at me.

"Britt, you don't know that." I told her softly and she nodded. "We did everything we could."

"Yeah, I know. And thanks for everything." She said and looked at her daughter again, wrapping her arms around her. I sighed. Brittany might lose her daughter the next day so it'd be selfish of me to bring up what was going on between us. So I just let it go.

* * *

A.N.: So, what did you think?


	10. Chapter 10

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 10:

A.N.: Thank you for the reviews and follows and favorites. I didn't want you guys wait for the decision, so here you go. Enjoy!

* * *

_The next day;_

We were sited in the court waiting for the judge to announce the jury's decision. Brittany and I exchanged only greetings and we've been quiet the rest of the time. Her eyes were puffy and she had black circles under her eyes. She looked drained and I just wanted to take her in my arms and comfort her again. But the judge made her appearance and we stood up until she was sited before we sat again.

"The jury listened with the utmost attention to all the witnesses that testified during the examination, and took into account that the respondent practiced the profession of a prostitute for years, which undoubtedly has influenced her character and life." _No! _Brittany's face fell even more and my heart broke with where this was going. If the custody went to Sam, he most probably wouldn't let Brittany see her daughter.

"Also, the jury took into account that the defense proved that for the last nine years, the respondent stopped practicing the profession of a prostitute." _That's good. _I felt a feeling of happiness settle into me but I ignored it. We didn't hear the decision yet. This could only mean that the jury gave the right to Brittany to see her daughter whenever, but not the sole custody.

"Due to the above, the jury decides that the custody goes to the mother and the father has the right of communication once every week for an hour, always in the presence of the mother." The judge finished and I felt my shoulders relax and I let out a big sigh of relief.

I glanced next to me and saw that Brittany had her face in her hands shaking it. I put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention and she quickly looked at me. Her eyes were filled with tears, I hoped happy ones, and her shoulders were relaxed, like her face. She sent me a watery smile and pulled me in her arms for a tight hug.

"Oh my god." She whispered into my ear and I chuckled. My senses were invaded by Brittany. Her scent and her half body against mine put me in a daze. She pulled back and wiped her tears away from her face, still smiling. "You know," she started quietly, looking around, "maybe I'm not _that _against your job anymore." She said chuckling. "I know it's hypocritical of me but honestly, I don't give a fuck right now." She told me shrugging and smiled widely. My heart melted seeing the blonde so happy. I smiled back.

"Well, I'm glad Britt." I told her. "They exposed you. They had to pay." I said in mock seriousness although I was half-joking. I seriously wanted to make some damage to whoever came near Brittany threateningly. She smiled at me and nodded.

"Come on!" She said grabbing my hand and stood up. Her touch stilled me frozen for a few seconds, her hand was so soft I never wanted to let go. "We have to go get Ali!" She said excitedly. My eyes widen.

"W-we?" I stuttered looking up at her. Did she seriously want me with her at this moment? She just found out that she got to keep her daughter, shouldn't she want to be just with her?

"Yes, silly." She giggled. Yes, _Brittany _fucking _giggled. _"You're the reason I get to see her now so I want you with me." She said, still smiling.

"Ok." I smiled back and stood up. Brittany dropped my hand, much to my displeasure, so I could grab my things. When we passed by the other table Blaine and Sam were sited at, Blaine turned to me with a glare.

"She shouldn't get the custody and you know it." He told me and I smiled at him, not bothering to correct him. She definitely should. Sam was the one that had no place in Alice's life.

"It's nothing personal Blaine. This is business." I tapped my knuckles on the table in front of him and winked before leaving, ignoring his huffing. Brittany arched an eyebrow at me, also ignoring Sam who was glaring at her, but I just shrugged smiling.

…

We hailed a cab and got in. Brittany gave to the driver her sister's address and turned to me.

"Do you think he's gonna want to see her?" She asked me. I groaned.

"Britt, seriously? You're about to see your baby girl and you're thinking about _him?_ Not cool." I shook my head at her and she smirked at me. "But I don't know. I don't think so, he has the right though, so you never know." I shrugged at her and she nodded. My phone buzzing forced me to look away from her beautiful blue eyes. I grabbed it and opened the new text message.

**From Quinn: How did it go?**

Quinn wanted me to tell her if Brittany got to keep her daughter or not but I didn't actually talk to the tall blonde about it and I winced, I didn't know how Brittany would react at this.

"What's wrong?" Brittany interrupted my thoughts. I looked up at her.

"Nothing's wrong." I shook my head. "It's just Quinn." I told her and gestured towards my phone. She arched an eyebrow at me and nodded slowly. I sighed. "She wanted to know the decision." I said and Brittany shrugged, looking away from me.

"She knows everything already, you can tell her the best part Santana." She told me quietly.

"Britt, Quinn's totally supporting you." I said and she looked at me with a doubtful look. I sighed. "Look, it's not my story to tell but Quinn has her own nightmares that keep her up at night." I shrugged and the blonde nodded at me. I smiled at her and she smiled weakly back. I turned back down to my phone to reply to the text.

**To Quinn: What kind of question is that Q? You know what a fucking awesome lawyer your friend is!**

I smiled while pressing send.

"What's so funny?" Brittany asked and I chuckled.

"I'm just really happy for you." I shrugged and she shrugged too smiling. Then I remembered something. "Britt?" I called to get her attention and she looked at me. "What about Hudson?" I asked. She shrugged.

"What about him?"

"We proved your innocence, so basically we proved that he lied." I said pointedly.

"I don't really care, San." She shrugged. "I don't know the guy, I don't need his money and I definitely don't want to see his face again."

"Britt, perjury is a really serious crime. He could go to jail." I told her.

"I just want my daughter right now." She said and I looked at her skeptically. "Please." She added then and looked at me pleadingly. I nodded because Brittany had been exposed enough as it was. It made sense that she didn't want to continue with this.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence. This was the first time that I saw Brittany so happy and I wanted to make the blonde smiling so big all the time. When we arrived the blonde threw some money to the driver and got out first. I followed her. We got in the building and made our way to Brittany's sister's apartment. The blonde knocked on the door and we waited only a few seconds before a younger and shorter version of Brittany opened the door. Her blonde hair was slightly darker and her eyes were brown and she also looked _really_ younger but you could definitely tell that she was Brittany's sister. She was holding Alice in her arms.

"Britt! What happened to you?" Her sister asked looking Brittany up and down. She was wearing a grey tight skirt and a black shirt, piercings gone. Then I remembered that her sister didn't know anything about the trial.

"I had a meeting." Brittany replied vaguely.

"What meeting could you possibly have?" Her sister frowned but Brittany ignored her and took her daughter from her, kissing her cheek.

"You're asking a lot of questions, Anna." She said then. Anna winced and a sad expression took over her face and I frowned in confusion. She quickly formed a smile though but I could tell it was just an image she had to keep up with.

"You must be Santana." She turned to me and I arched an eyebrow. Did Brittany tell her sister about me? But she just smiled at me and extended her hand. "I'm Anna, Britt's sister." She said. I shook her hand and smiled back.

"Nice to meet you." I told her and she nodded smiling.

"Ok." Brittany spoke up then. "We gotta go, I want my piercings back on." She said looking at me pointedly and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Tana!" The little blonde squealed, finally making her presence known. I turned to look at her and she had both her hands extended, wanting me to take her from her mother. I looked at Brittany and she nodded at me with a glint in her eye that I ignored. I took her in my arms and she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, making me smile. The two blondes smirked at me but I didn't understand why. My confusion only lasted a few seconds though because then Alice spoke up again. "Dance!" She demanded giggling. My eyes widen in horror and I turned to Brittany and Anna who were laughing uncontrollably.

"Not now, sweetie." Brittany said between her breaths. "But I'm sure Santana would love to dance with you when we get home." She smirked at me and I rolled my eyes again. Then my brain processed what the blonde said. _I get to go home with them?_

…

Apparently Brittany was serious because I went home with them when we left from Anna's. The little blonde stayed in my arms all the way to Brittany's apartment until we got in and I let her down.

"Shoes." Brittany said and little Alice started to run towards her room but when the blonde cleared her throat loudly she stopped immediately without turning to face her mother. Apparently running in the house is not allowed. She waited a few seconds and when Brittany didn't say anything, she started walking as fast as she could, causing me to laugh and Brittany to shake her head. Then the blonde turned to me. "I'll be right back." She told me and I nodded. I watched as the blonde vanished in the same direction as Alice, _without _looking at her ass in that tight skirt and her perfect legs in those heels, and took the opportunity to look at my surroundings.

I've been before in Brittany's apartment building but not in her apartment. It was warm and homey. The walls were a light grey and the furniture dark grey and black. The coffee table was full of books and papers and all kinds of scientific calculators. There weren't photographs in the living room but it didn't surprise me at all, I didn't have photographs in my living room either. I suddenly felt two hands hugging my leg and I looked down to see Alice staring up at me. I smiled at her but her face remained still. She was leaning her whole body on my leg, her chin on my thigh. I ran a hand through her hair.

"What's up, little Ali?" I asked, confused as to why she was looking at me like that. She blushed and giggled turning her head down and rubbed her face on my thigh before looking up again, returning her face back to serious.

"Sit." She told me and grabbed my hand, guiding me towards the couch and sitting me down. I set my bag down on the floor, by the side of the couch. The little blonde bent slightly and leaned her elbows on my knees, her head in her hands. She was studying my face and I couldn't believe that a three year old was making me feel uncomfortable. Then she narrowed her eyes. "You dance?" She asked me.

"No." I shook my head. She pouted for a second but quickly turned her face to unreadable, reminding me of Brittany but this sight was slightly amusing.

"You mafs?" She asked me then. She was going back and forth on her feet, her elbows still on my knees, making her look even more adorable. I didn't understand what exactly she was asking but I had nothing to do with mathematics so I was positive my answer would be accurate.

"No." I said shaking my head again. She frowned. Just then it occurred to me that she was interrogating me and I snorted a laugh causing her to whine.

"Whas so funny?" She asked. "Tell me." She said and grabbed my hand. I was at a loss of words so I thanked god when Brittany called her name.

"Ali!" She shouted from somewhere in the apartment and Alice widened her eyes. She put her tiny finger in front of her mouth, as if to tell me to be quiet and I arched an eyebrow at her. "I know you hear me!" Brittany shouted again and Alice pouted.

"If I were you I'd go back there right now." I whispered to her and she pouted. She dropped my hand and leaned up to kiss my cheek before pushing herself off my knees and going to find her mother. Did Brittany's daughter just kiss my cheek? I shook my head and let a smile take over my face.

I looked around and grabbed randomly a book from the coffee table in front of me. _Advanced Topics in Applied Mathematics: Data Analysis Methods for High-Dimensional Time Series. _I winced at the title and then frowned. _What the fuck is that? _I wondered but I was pretty sure I didn't want to know. Someone laughing caused me to look up and I was met with blue eyes staring back at me with amusement.

Brittany was standing on the other side of the coffee table in all her short shorts and tank top glory. I stared at her body and exposed tattoos for long moments, I just couldn't help myself sometimes. She cleared her throat and crossed her arms in front of her chest. I looked up and saw that she had put her piercings back on. I smiled at her ignoring the blush on my cheeks.

"Do you have like a PhD or something?" I asked jokingly for distraction and showed her the book that I was holding.

"That's from my Bachelor's." She told me and I nodded impressed while putting the book back on the coffee table. "And no, I don't have a PhD. I just finished my Master's last year." She said and I arched my eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?" I asked while she was getting a sit beside me on the couch.

"Yup." She said and put her feet on the couch sitting cross legged.

"Sheer genius." I whispered to myself but she heard me and chuckled. I smiled shyly at her and then I remembered that website. "Hey, Britt?" I called and she smiled at me. I thought I'd never get bored of that smile. "Why would you need a hundred mathematicians on one website?" I wondered and she chuckled.

"They're not all of them mathematicians. It started only for maths and it was only me but now there are different subjects. Like physics and computer science and graphic design and many others." She told me and dug up a laptop from under all those files. I nodded and she scooted closer to me, causing my skin to burn because of the warmth radiating from her body. My heart started beating faster inside my chest and I swallowed nervously. She opened the laptop and turned it on and then turned her head to look at me. "Let me show you." She said quietly and her eyes glanced briefly at my lips. I let my eyes fall to her lips too and I wondered what it'd feel like to kiss someone with a stud under their bottom lip. Brittany cleared her throat and turned to her laptop again, pulling me out of my daze as well.

"Where's the kid?" I asked her while she was busy playing with her laptop.

"She's tidying her toys." She told me, not looking at me and I chuckled. She turned to me and arched an eyebrow. "Why's that funny?" She wondered.

"It's not." I shrugged. "I just didn't think you'd be one of _those _mothers." I told her and she frowned.

"Well, my mom wasn't one of _those _mothers when I was a kid. And I don't want my daughter being spoilt like I was." She said. "Until I was fourteen anyway." She whispered looking back at her laptop and I frowned at her. This was the first time Brittany talked about her mother, or any of her parents for that matter. What happened when she was fourteen? It probably was something that made her become a prostitute. I let it go though, I knew she wouldn't want to tell me.

Brittany had been showing me her website for the last ten minutes. I had to say I was really impressed, that was some serious genius thinking from her. There were lots of different subjects that people could choose from and send their projects to be solved and then pay. When Brittany finished the demonstration she looked at me and turned serious.

"Are we friends?" She asked me bluntly and my eyes widen in surprise at her question.

"Friends?" I asked and chuckled humorlessly. I was pretty sure I didn't want to be Brittany's friend. She stared at me for a few seconds. I saw her clenching her jaw and then she took a deep breath.

"You know things about me that not even my sister knows." She said pointedly and I shrugged to hide my sad feelings. It looked like she didn't want me to know those things about her.

"There's the attorney-client privilege, Brittany." I told her trying my voice to come out strong."It means that everything you told me is confidential and that I know them as your counselor, not your friend. " I said and looked away from her. When she didn't say anything for long moments I looked back at her and saw that she was watching me blankly. "So, you don't have to title me as your friend to make sure that I won't tell anything to your sister." I added emotionless. This was confusing. No other client of mine ever asked me to join them after I won their case. But Brittany did. And now she didn't even want to be my friend? I groaned inwardly.

"I thought you knew that I trusted you, San." The blonde said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at her and tried my hardest to ignore the happiness that settled into me because she admitted that she trusted me. "And that's not what I meant." She added and I looked at her questioningly. She sighed. "I just asked because I want us to be friends, if you want to too." She said quietly looking away from me. I guessed that we were pretending that we didn't kiss and that it wasn't obvious that I liked her as more than a friend, but she was opening up to me. I was pretty sure that she didn't _want_ to be friends with anyone. At least not after she was fourteen.

"I guess we could be friends." I said quietly shrugging and felt sadness settle into me. She nodded and I could tell by the way she was biting her bottom lip and looking down at her hands that that wasn't what she wanted either. I hoped the blonde would come around eventually. But I knew she liked me back, she kissed me after all, so I decided to not let it go that easily. Then little Alice came into the living room giggling, effectively easing the tension that was in the room.

"Done!" She squealed and I chuckled.

"Is she always that cheerful?" I asked the blonde and a sad expression came on her face. I frowned.

"Yeah." She whispered and put her laptop on the coffee table again and picked up her daughter, putting her on the couch. Alice crawled over her mother and squeezed in the little space between us. I wondered why Brittany became sad all of a sudden. I looked at her questioningly and she smiled sadly at me. "I used to be that cheerful too, you know." She said quietly and I nodded. Probably that was too, until she was fourteen.

"Dance time!" Alice squealed and Brittany chuckled at her. She looked at me and arched an eyebrow causing my eyes to widen.

"I-I don't dance." I stuttered and Brittany smirked at me while the little blonde pouted and whined.

"I don't think you want to be the reason why my daughter starts crying, Lopez." The tall blonde said in a warning tone but her smirk was still in place. I rolled my eyes at her calling me 'Lopez' and glanced at the little blonde and saw her looking at me pouting but something in her eyes told me that she knew what she was doing. After all she asked me if I danced and I said no. _That little devil, _I thought and shook my head. "Well?" Brittany prompted and I groaned.

"Ok, I guess I'm up for a lesson." I mumbled and little Alice squealed and crawled on my lap. I put my arms around her, afraid she might fall. I didn't have much experience with children and I definitely didn't want anything happening, from all people, to _Brittany's _daughter.

"I'll show you." The little blonde said excitedly and I nodded sighing. I guessed the day was going to be long but as long as those two blondes were with me, I was pretty sure I'd do whatever they wanted me to do.

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A.N.: Tell me your thoughts about this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 11:

We were still sitting on the couch with Alice on my lap being an excited giggling mess.

"I don't think you can dance in those." Brittany said as she stood up, gesturing towards my clothes. I could feel little Alice start playing with my shirt but my eyes were glued on the tall blonde that was heading towards the kitchen. The living room and the kitchen were in the same room so I didn't have to follow her to reply.

"I don't think I can dance in anything." I mumbled rolling my eyes and Brittany chuckled while opening the fridge, her back to me. I found it weird that Alice was so quiet and didn't giggle when Brittany laughed so with difficult I took my eyes off of the blonde and glanced down to see why. I found her practically undressing me. She was unbuttoning my shirt but apparently I was too busy staring at Brittany to notice it. My eyes widened and I blushed out of embarrassment at my realization. This kid would be the death of me. "What are you doing?" I whispered at her and frowned. She giggled and I took her little hands away from my shirt and started buttoning it up again.

"Nooo!" She whined causing Brittany to close the fridge and turn to us with two bottles of water in her hands. She saw me buttoning my shirt and arched an eyebrow. Her blue eyes lingered on my chest, effectively causing my blush to deepen. Little Alice didn't go much down so only a little too much amount of cleavage was visible. Then she glanced at her daughter and shook her head. Alice hopped down and started running around the couch.

"I'm sorry." She told me and put the bottles on the table, coming near the couch. "Ali!" She said sternly and the little blonde came and stood in front of her. "That was bad." She told her and looked at her pointedly while putting her hands on her hips. I knew I had to feel bad for the little blonde, it didn't bother me _that _much. But I didn't think Brittany would appreciate it if I didn't let her scold her daughter. So I just stayed there and watched Brittany being intimidating and hot. Little Alice pouted and hugged Brittany's leg, mumbling 'sorry'. She started playing with her mother's tiger tattoo and I was actually jealous of the little blonde at that moment. Brittany sighed and glanced briefly at me before looking at her daughter again and crouched down so they were at the same level. She grabbed her arms and looked around her face. "Are you breathing ok, baby?" She whispered to her. Only then I remembered that the little blonde had a heart problem and noticed that she wasn't breathing easily and when it was silent I could hear her wheezing. Alice shook her head and Brittany pouted at her.

"Is she ok?" I asked as the blonde took her daughter in her arms and came to sit on the couch next to me.

"Yeah." She sighed. "The surgery caused damage in her lungs and sometimes she can't breathe properly when she's running or dancing or whatever, but it's nothing to worry about." She shrugged but she was still sad. I tilted my head to the side and looked at her questioningly. "It's just that if she wanted to dance professionally she wouldn't be able to do that if she stays like that. Or do anything that requires physical exhaustion." She said sadly. "Doctors are monitoring her and if this keeps happening she might need another open heart surgery. But she'll be fine if the surgery is successful." She added and smiled weakly at me to let me know that she was fine. _What if the surgery is not successful? _I wondered but I didn't ask. I pretty much knew the answer already.

"But she only ran around the couch a couple of times." I whispered frowning.

"Yeah but we are tired, aren't we, baby?" She asked her daughter while tucking the little blonde's hair behind her ears. Little Alice nodded.

"Cause mommy let us dance till late." The little blonde said and Brittany nodded.

"And then mommy woke us up reaaally early today." She said and looked at me. Alice giggled and I smiled, nodding in understanding. The night before was the last night before the decision announcement for the trial. Brittany probably wanted to spend as much time with her daughter as possible. I was about to say something but my phone starting to buzz interrupted me. I winced at them apologetically and grabbed it from my bag to answer. It was Marley.

"Yes." I said.

"_Ms. Lopez, I'm so so sorry._" Marley apologized. I rolled my eyes at her insisting calling me 'Ms. Lopez'. She was probably only two or three years younger than me and it made me feel weird. I wondered what she was apologizing for.

"What's wrong?" I asked frowning and glanced at Brittany and saw that she was watching her daughter playing with her fingers.

"_You have an appointment in thirty minutes._" She started and I groaned. Brittany turned to me and arched an eyebrow and I winced at her. "_I was about to call you when the phone started ringing and then I totally forgot._" She said quickly. I could hear her shuffling around and a phone ringing in the background. I sighed. She was probably drowning in work. "_I'm so so sorry._" She apologized again.

"It's ok. I'll be there in twenty." I said and hang up. I turned to Brittany.

"You're a very busy woman, aren't you?" She teased me and I chuckled.

"Hey, I don't know if you've heard but I'm a pretty awesome lawyer." I replied teasingly back and it was her turn to chuckle.

"Yeah, I've heard." She shrugged and I smiled at her. I stood up and grabbed my bag, Brittany stood too. I turned to look at the little blonde in Brittany's arms and found her pouting at me.

"Stay." She told me and I pouted back. I couldn't stand seeing any of the two blondes in front of me sad. I turned to Brittany and she gestured for me take her daughter from her so I did. Little Alice leaned her forehead on my cheek.

"We're gonna dance next time, I promise." I told her softly and pulled back to watch her nodding slowly. Her hands were playing with my hair falling over my shoulders. She was still sad though and I looked at Brittany frowning. She smiled her perfect smile at me.

"She likes you." She shrugged and I arched an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I don't understand why either." She said teasingly and shook her head. I rolled my eyes at her and smiled. She stepped closer to us, causing my heart to start beating faster inside my chest. She was looking at me with an unreadable expression, her eyes falling to my lips every now and then. But she cleared her throat and took her daughter from me again, not before Alice placing a kiss to both of my cheeks. "Say bye to Santana, sweetheart. You'll see her soon." Brittany told her daughter but I could see the disappointment in her eyes this time. She didn't want me to leave as much as I didn't want to leave. Little Alice mumbled 'bye' and I smiled at the both of them before leaving. I hoped 'soon' would be really soon.

…

The time I spent on Friday with Brittany and Alice put me in a good mood. Apparently the little blonde had taken a liking to me and the feelings where definitely mutual. I liked anything that was related to Brittany. Although 'like' is not a word that made justice to what I was feeling. I noticed that Brittany was so carefree only when she was with her daughter and that made me want to make the blonde happy all the time even more. I felt like she was letting me in and knowing that I helped Brittany keep her daughter and seeing her being so happy put a smile on my face for the rest of the weekend.

What made my smile waver though was Brittany wanting us to be friends. I knew my feelings were deeper than simply liking her but I would ignore them as long as she wanted us to be friends. That didn't mean that I would let it go completely though. It scared me because I had never been into anyone so much. But it didn't scare me enough to make me give up on this. Whatever this was.

It was Monday and I was in my office working on a case when my phone buzzed and I grabbed it to open the text message.

**From Quinn: Wanna come over for dinner tonight? Mike and his friend from the dance studio will come too.**

Hanging out with Quinn and Mike might get my mind off of Brittany. Plus, a blushing Quinn around Mike is always a pleasant sight. They were dating now so that was even more amusing.

**To Quinn: Sure.**

…

I knocked on Quinn's apartment door and waited for her to open. After work I went home and changed out of my work clothes before coming here. The door opened and Quinn smiled at me before giving me a quick hug.

"Come in!" She said a little too cheerfully making me arch an eyebrow at her. I stepped in and turned to her as she was closing the door.

"What did you do?" I asked her immediately and she smirked at me.

"Nothing. Why would you think that?" She asked innocently but I knew her too well to know that she wasn't sincere.

"Q." I said warningly and she chuckled.

"Nothing bad, I promise." She said and pushed me in the living room. I huffed at her and then turned to face the living room to find Mike and a brunette sitting on the couch.

"Hello, Santana." Mike said as he stood up and gave me a quick hug. I smiled at him and then turned to the brunette as she was standing up too.

"Hi, I'm Liz." She said and extended her hand. "Actually it's Elizabeth but _please _call me Liz." She added smiling as I was shaking her hand.

"Santana." I told her and smiled back. I couldn't deny that she was really beautiful with green eyes and pale skin. She held my hand for a moment longer, making me notice her charming smile and her appreciative eyes all over my body. I pulled my hand back from her grasp and I turned to Quinn with a glare and she smirked at me. So, this was what she had planned. She set me up with this Liz. Don't get me wrong, she was beautiful and hot having a dancer's body. But she wasn't Brittany. And Quinn didn't know that I had eyes only for a blue eyed, blonde haired woman. Or she did and that was why she was setting me up. But I doubted it.

…

We were sitting on the table, Quinn and Mike on one side and Liz and I on the other. We just started eating the food that Quinn cooked when Liz spoke up.

"So, you're a lawyer." She said and turned to me, trying to start a conversation with me. I forced a smile and nodded.

"And you're a dancer." I stated and she smirked at me, crossing her legs and turning more towards me.

"Yeah, I work with Mike." She shrugged and nodded towards him. Just then it occurred to me that she was Brittany's employee. That made the whole thing even more awkward.

"But I'm so better than you." Mike said back jokingly and Liz scoffed.

"We don't even teach the same kind." She said frowning but I could tell it was playful.

"I still teach the advanced classes." Mike shrugged and took a bite of his food. I turned to Quinn and saw that she was looking at him like he was the Eighth Wonder of the world. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, cause you're Britt's favorite." Liz shot back and smirked. Quinn looked at me questioningly but I ignored it. The conversation taking place was more interesting. Probably Mike and Liz didn't know that I knew Brittany.

"Just because she's the owner doesn't mean she can do whatever she wants." Mike frowned and Liz arched an eyebrow at Mike. "Ok, maybe she can." He admitted and held up one hand in defense. "But I teach them cause I'm an awesome dance teacher, not because I'm Britt's favorite." He smirked and Liz rolled her eyes.

"Or because you are." She retorted back.

"Hey, you'd teach the advanced classes too if you'd take a hint and stop flirting with her." He said pointedly and smirked and I narrowed my eyes. _Liz is flirting with Brittany?_

"I'm not flirting with her!" She said loudly in defense and glanced briefly at me. Mike rolled his eyes, like they had this conversation a hundred times.

"You should just get over it already." Mike mumbled. "It ended so many years ago." He added and Liz looked around nervously. This conversation was starting to make things awkward. Apparently Liz and Brittany dated at some point. I frowned. That meant that Brittany was at least bisexual. And she told me that her last relationship was with Sam four years ago. So, Liz was before Sam.

"Brittany owns the dance studio?" Quinn finally asked, changing the uncomfortable subject and breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes. I thought I told you that." Mike said and grabbed her hand. Quinn shook her head. "Oh well, she does." He shrugged. Quinn turned to me and arched an eyebrow. I shrugged smiling. Apparently she didn't know that Brittany owned the dance studio.

After that we ate in an uncomfortable silence. Mike obviously didn't know that Quinn was setting us up, otherwise he wouldn't say that Liz and Brittany dated at some point and that Liz still had a thing for the blonde. I didn't know what Liz's deal was. If she was still flirting with Brittany then she still wanted her, and who wouldn't? But why come here if that was the case? I decided that I really didn't care about her as long as Brittany didn't reciprocate her feelings. I'd have to find out, for my sanity's sake. After all this time that I had known Brittany, she was still a mystery to me and she kept surprising me. But I wasn't sure if this time it was a pleasant surprise or not.

After we ate Quinn stood up and started cleaning the table. I rushed to help her so I could speak with her in the kitchen, where we would be alone.

"Seriously, Q?" I asked once we were in the kitchen. Quinn put the plates she was holding on the counter and turned to me as I was putting the plates I was holding in the sink.

"What?" She shrugged. "That was fun. You should've seen your face, San." She smirked at me and I arched an eyebrow. "Priceless!" She exclaimed and laughed out loud. I frowned.

"So, you did this for fun?" I asked in disbelief and she shrugged again.

"Yeah, I knew she has a crush on Brittany. The whole studio knows that. I just didn't know that Mike was gonna spill it so soon." She said and chuckled like it wasn't a big deal. "What's the problem anyway?" She wondered and I looked at her with an incredulous look. Unsurprisingly, my problem wasn't that she set me up with someone who already had a crush on someone else.

"You knew she has a crush on _Brittany_ and you didn't tell me?" I asked and frowned and she frowned too.

"Why would I-" She started to ask but then her eyes widen. _Oh shit, _I thought and regretted my question. She obviously didn't know about _my _crush on Brittany but now she definitely does. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed and I glared at her.

"Just don't make a big deal." I frowned and she smirked.

"Now I wasn't expecting _that!_" She said, smirk still on her face and I rolled my eyes. "Oh man, this is so much fun!"

"It's not even funny." I mumbled and started to walk back and out of the kitchen. But she grabbed my arm to stop me. I turned to look at her and saw her face softening and a sympathetic smile appearing on her face, reminding me why I loved Quinn so much.

"It's serious, isn't it?" She asked knowingly and I shrugged looking away. I had definitely never felt like this before for anyone. "Oh San." She sighed and I could tell that she was about to ask me more about it. But I didn't even know what was going on and I didn't know what to tell to Quinn. So I spoke up to distract her.

"I think I heard Mike calling your name." I said, although I didn't hear Mike at all. She widened her eyes and left me to go in the living room.

"You'll tell me everything later." She said over her shoulder and I shook my head at her retreating form before following her.

We decided to put on a movie and we ended up watching 'Just Go With It' with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Mike and Quinn cuddled on the couch, making things between Liz and I even more awkward, if that was possible. I glared at Quinn but she just smirked at me before turning more towards Mike who had his arm around her. Liz and I sat really close to each other on the other couch but I focused my attention on the movie and rolled my eyes every time Adam Sandler glanced at Jennifer's boobs not so subtly. I didn't notice Liz shifting closer to me on the couch and her voice near me startled me.

"I'm sorry about earlier." She started whispering before continuing. "Mike's exaggerating."

"No worries." I whispered back and glanced briefly at her before returning to the movie. I really didn't care about it. I cared more about what Brittany was feeling.

"Hey, I really like you. Do you think we could hang out some time?" She asked me then and I tried my hardest not to roll my eyes. I turned to her.

"I don't think that's a very good idea." I whispered. The last thing I needed was to hang out with Brittany's ex, who apparently still wanted her. She nodded in understanding and smiled weakly at me. I knew it was unfair of me to not like her but I couldn't help myself. Maybe I was a little jealous too but I wouldn't admit that any time soon.

After the movie finished I left Quinn's apartment with the excuse that I had to work in the morning. But only Quinn caught up with the fact that I wanted to leave from that awkward tension that was surrounding us.

I went home, showered and got ready for bed. I couldn't help but think about Brittany and Liz. I wondered if anything was going on between them but from what Mike said, probably it was nothing. I still had to make sure though so I decided to find out from Brittany herself.

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A.N.: Hey, thanks for your reviews. Let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 12:

A.N.: 1. I started at a new job last week and I'm really busy but I don't want to ruin the pace that I set and let it go and update once a month so here's the next chapter. It's shorter than the last few but it's still another chapter. 2. Thanks for your reviews and 200+ follows? Thank you again and enjoy!

* * *

Brittany had to come by the firm to sign some papers but I told Marley not to call her and that I would take them to her. I wanted to tell Brittany about Liz. Plus, every chance there was to see the blonde I would take it. Then I texted Brittany and she told me to go over her apartment after work. I went home and changed out of my work clothes before I made my way to Brittany's apartment.

She buzzed me in and I went up the stairs and knocked on the door. When the door opened and I was met with her beautiful blue eyes, I realized how much I had missed her. Brittany smiled at me and I tried to smile back, ignoring my fast heartbeats. Sometimes I didn't recognize myself when I was in her presence. She stepped to the side and gestured for me to get in the apartment. I was expecting to be welcomed by little Alice as well but she was nowhere to be seen. As if Brittany read my mind she spoke up.

"Ali fell asleep half an hour ago." She told me. "But she's gonna wake up again soon."

"Is she any better?" I asked, referring to her heavy breathing she had the last time I saw her.

"Yeah, she's fine. She's been dancing today." She smiled at me relieved while she was getting a sit on a chair at the table in the kitchen. She was probably working, if the table that was covered in sheets and books was any indication. I nodded smiling back. "So, do you always deliver papers that need signing to your clients?" She asked me teasingly and I chuckled.

"Actually no." I said with a small smile while I was getting a sit on a chair beside hers. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." I told her and shrugged.

"We're doing ok." She shrugged too and I nodded. I wasn't expecting her jumping around so I figured Brittany's 'ok' was actually good. Before anything else could be said the door opened. Brittany looked behind me and arched an eyebrow. I turned too and saw Anna coming in. She looked surprised to see me there but quickly formed a smile.

"Hi." She told us and I smiled back.

"What's up?" Brittany asked bluntly and Anna's face fell. But she quickly frowned at her sister. I frowned too and turned to Brittany to see an expressionless face. Did she not notice her sister's sad face? Were they pretending in front of each other?

"Wow. You're extra mean today." Anna told her sister crossing her arms in front of her chest and came to stand opposite us, on the other side of the table.

"I'm not mean." Brittany said and arched an eyebrow.

"Right." Anna mumbled and looked around. I frowned in confusion. "Where's my godchild?" She asked.

"She's sleeping." Brittany shrugged and crossed her long legs. "So, what do you want?" She asked. Anna bit the inside of her cheek, looking like she was thinking about it for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and answering.

"I want to go on a trip." She said and Brittany's eyes widen. She glanced at me and then back at Anna. "I can't afford the air tickets." Anna said pointedly and a relieved expression came over Brittany's face. I frowned. I didn't understand what was the problem.

"No." She simply said.

"Come on, Britt!" Anna frowned. "Please." She said and clasped her hands in front of her. Brittany sighed.

"Are you going with Jake?" She asked and Anna nodded with a hopeful look. "Then no." She shrugged. I would laugh if Anna's face wasn't so serious.

"Do you seriously want me to beg you?" She asked frowning. "Why do you enjoy torturing me?" She huffed. Brittany rolled her eyes and looked at me before looking back at her sister.

"You got me, Anna. That's what I've always wanted." She said sarcastically and Anna looked like she regretted what she said but didn't say anything about it.

"You're not my mother. You can't tell me what to do. I'm _twenty._" She frowned and Brittany relaxed back on her sit and put her left arm on the back of my chair. If she was to let it fall, she would be hugging me. My skin burnt with just the thought of that happening. Her tongue was playing with the piercing inside her bottom lip and she was studying her sister.

"Then why are you here?" Brittany asked challengingly. Anna looked like she was trying to be angry with Brittany, but she was actually sad about it. It confused me.

"Cause you're my guardian." She answered. _What? _Brittany looked at me and bit her bottom lip. I frowned at her but she ignored me and turned back to her sister.

"You said it yourself. You're twenty. You don't have a guardian." Brittany said calmly.

"You know what I mean." Anna retorted back and I started feeling awkward being in front of two sisters fighting. Brittany rolled her eyes again. She looked relaxed and it was weird seeing her not getting angry with her sister. She obviously loved her very much, despite their fights. Anna sighed, once again looking apologetic but not apologizing. "Look, what do I have to do for you to give me the money?" She asked in defeat.

"I don't even know the guy, Anna." Brittany frowned.

"We've been together for three years. You're being overprotective." Anna frowned and now Brittany actually got angry.

"I'm not being overprotective! I'm being protective! There's a difference!" She snapped and Anna winced. Brittany put her hands on her lap and started playing with them. "Just introduce me to Jake and then you can do whatever you want." She shrugged and Anna nodded.

"Thanks." She said quietly and Brittany just nodded at her. Anna looked at me and then at Brittany. She sighed. "Britt, I'm sorry." She said and Brittany frowned.

"This is not the time." She said. I figured she meant because I was there.

"Ok." Anna said and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Well, I'll talk with Jake and text you." She said then and Brittany nodded. Anna turned to leave. "Give a kiss to Ali from me." She said over her shoulder before closing the door and Brittany sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Brittany said quietly, not looking at me.

"It's ok." I shrugged. "I don't have any siblings so I guess that's how they communicate." I said teasingly and Brittany chuckled. But then she cleared her throat and turned serious again.

"I know you want to but please don't ask me anything." She told me pleadingly. The whole interaction between her and her sister was so confusing, I had so many questions. But if she didn't want me to then I wouldn't ask anything.

"Hey, you can tell me whatever you want, I'm not gonna push you." I told her softly.

"That's the problem." She mumbled and I frowned.

"What?" I asked and she sighed. She swallowed hard and looked down at her hands that were playing nervously on her lap.

"You just make me want to tell you everything and know that it'd be ok, you know?" She said quietly. "And it's so unfamiliar to me, the fact that it's getting harder and harder to get defensive around you irritates me." She frowned, still not looking at me. I didn't know if I should be happy or sad about this. On one hand she wanted to tell me everything, that meant she trusted me and that she didn't have the need to be defensive with me. On the other hand, she didn't like it that this was happening. But I decided to go with the happy feeling because just by telling me this, she was opening up to me, she was being exposed. I just hoped she knew I wouldn't take advantage of that. I sighed and got what she needed to sign out of my purse and gave the papers to her. She took them from me and started signing.

"Should I be sorry that you feel that way, Britt?" I asked her after a while and she sighed. She didn't turn to look at me, she kept her eyes on the papers in front of her.

"I'm not sorry." She shrugged. "I told you, it's new to me. I just have to get used to it, I guess." She said quietly and started signing again.

"Well if it makes you feel any better." I started and she looked up at me with those blue eyes that I adored so much. I took a deep breath. "You make me feel things I've never felt before too." I said quietly and shrugged looking away from her. I felt her hand covering my clasped hands on top of the table and I tensed at the feeling. The heat radiating from her warm hand caused me to relax again though and I turned to look at her. She was biting her bottom lip and looking at me intently. I wanted to know what she was thinking but after a few seconds she took her hand away from mine and gave me the papers.

"Are they ok?" She asked shakily and I shook my head to get rid of my thoughts. I checked to make sure that she signed everything she had to and nodded at her. She nodded too. "Hey, do you want to wake up that little bug?" She asked and gestured with her head to where I assumed was Alice's bedroom. "It's late, she won't be able to sleep later." She said as she stood up.

"Sure." I said and stood up too. I would never say no to spending time with the little blonde.

"Go ahead." Brittany told me and went to the fridge. My eyes widen.

"Wait! You meant to go alone?" I asked incredulously and Brittany turned to me. It was obvious that she was trying not to laugh.

"She won't bite you, I promise." She said teasingly and I rolled my eyes. "Go ahead, she'll be really happy when she sees you." She tried to reassure me. But I still wasn't convinced.

"What if I scare her, Britt?" I frowned and Brittany smiled softly at me.

"You're so thoughtful, San." She said and I actually blushed at her compliment. I inwardly groaned at my inability to act like a decent human being around the blonde. "But don't worry, you won't scare her. The seven eighths of the words she's mumbling are Tana." She said frowning disapprovingly and I chuckled.

"That was so mathematical of you." I teased her and she rolled her eyes at me. She turned again to open the fridge.

"Go already. First door on your left." She told me and I sighed loudly, causing her to shake her head in amusement. With a last glance on her ass in those tight shorts, I turned to go find Alice's bedroom.

I quietly opened the first door I found on my left. It was dark so I left the door open to light the room. Little Alice was sleeping on her bed. She was on her stomach, the side of her face was one with the mattress. I smiled at the sight in front of me and quietly made my way towards the side of the bed she was facing. There were wooden railings on the sides, preventing the little blonde from falling off the bed. I took the railing off of its place and put it on the floor. I sat facing Alice and ran the back of my finger down her exposed cheek.

"Ali." I whispered at her and she stirred, rolling to her side. She grabbed my hand and hugged it to her chest, effectively causing my heart to melt. "Wake up, Ali girl." I said quietly and she brought my hand up to hide her face.

"Tana." She mumbled in a sleepy voice and I smiled at her adorableness.

"Hey you." I said softly. "Your mom's waiting for you." I told her and she hummed. She dropped my hand and hugged my leg bringing her head to rub her face to the outside of my jeans before rolling on her back and extending her arms, wanting me to take her in my arms, with her eyes still closed. I stood up smiling and hoisted her on my hip. She wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and hid her face to the crook. She was still warm from her sleep so I grabbed a hoodie she had on a chair and draped it over her.

I made my way back to Brittany who was still in the kitchen. She was standing in front of the stove but turned when she heard us. She smiled at us and then glanced at the hoodie that was around the little blonde. She shook her head.

"So thoughtful." She mumbled and I rolled my eyes at her. She said it teasingly but I could tell that it made her happy that I was actually careful with her daughter. And I was happy too that she acknowledged that. Brittany rubbed her hand on her daughter's back and the little blonde tighten her arms around my neck. Brittany clicked her tongue. "Are you trying to steal my daughter from me?" She asked me and my eyes widen.

"What? No!" I exclaimed, only then noticing the way she was trying to hide her smirk.

"Relax, San." She chuckled. I huffed at her and she smiled at me while turning back to the stove. "I know you're not. If you wanted to do that you'd do it already, right? " She asked and shrugged. I frowned.

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked.

"I don't know." She said not looking at me. She was heating up milk, probably for the kid. "I'm just saying, you practically had her in your mercy." She shrugged.

"I don't like it when you put it that way." I told her but she didn't look at me.

"That's just the way it is." She answered while pouring the milk in a plastic cup and adding drinking chocolate. I sighed but she just turned to look at me and smiled weakly. She gestured towards her daughter. "Who wants hot chocolate?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Little Alice immediately looked up and reached for her mother. Brittany put the cup on the table and took her from me, sitting her on the chair. She took the hoodie from around her and put it on her properly before pushing the chair near the table. "Careful." She told her and started gathering her daughter's blonde hair in a ponytail.

"Dance." The little blonde mumbled and took the cup carefully to take a sip. I chuckled at her always having dance in her mind and Brittany smiled.

"No more dance today." Her mother said and little Alice pouted. "But maybe if you ask Santana politely, she might dance with you another day." Brittany told her and finished with her hair. She turned to me and arched her eyebrows.

"Please." The little blonde pouted at me and I bit my bottom lip, effectively causing Brittany's gaze to fall on my lips. I turned to the little blonde again.

"I promised, remember?" I said and Alice squealed 'yes'. I turned to the tall blonde and arched an eyebrow when she made eye contact again, causing her to blush slightly and clear her throat. She took a sit beside her daughter, who was smiling at me. "Hey, I gotta go but I'll see you soon?" I asked. Brittany's face fell for a second before going back to expressionless and little Alice pouted at me.

"No." She whined and I sighed. I went to sit opposite them.

"Maybe if you ask your mom politely, she might let us see each other again soon." I mimic what Brittany said earlier and glanced at her to see her sucking her lips in her mouth. The little blonde took her mother's hand and looked at her pleadingly.

"Ok. We'll see." She said and kissed her daughter's hand. I smiled and stood up. I grabbed the papers Brittany signed and my purse. Little Alice hopped off her chair and came around the table to hug my legs. I crouched down and let her hug me properly before kissing her cheek. I smiled at them and left.

The papers needing signing were just an excuse. The real reason why I went to Brittany's apartment in the first place was _Liz. _But I had totally forgotten about that.

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A.N.: Tell me your thoughts.


	13. Chapter 13

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 13:

A.N.: Mundial starts today, I'm so excited! Also, thanks for your reviews and follows! Enjoy.

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We agreed with Brittany to meet at the dance studio and go pick up little Alice from her ballet class together to surprise her and then do whatever the kid wanted. I thought starting dance classes when she was only three years old was too much but the blonde said that that was when she started too. Plus, it wasn't _that _tiring. And I didn't think Brittany would pressure her daughter, especially because she had her heart problem too. But clearly the little blonde loved dancing.

It was Friday afternoon and I was on my way to the dance studio. I kept repeating inside my head to remember to tell Brittany about Liz. I didn't want to forget again like last time. But this time she would be alone, no confusing sister and sleeping daughter to distract me. I thought I would be able to eventually put my mind in rest about this Liz chick. I didn't really want to know but I had met two of her exes. The one still wanted her and the other wanted to take her daughter from her.

I arrived at the dance studio earlier than the time we agreed to meet but I made my way to Brittany's room anyway. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. Then I heard the music playing from inside so I decided to just get in. I opened the door and stepped inside before closing it. The sight I was met with was not one I was expecting and definitely not one I liked. Brittany and _Liz _were dancing to Low from Flo Rida ft. T-Pain. It looked like Brittany was showing Liz the choreography because she was describing the moves she was doing and Liz was following. The blonde seemed to be either pissed off with Liz or just unhappy with her. More than usual. This definitely wasn't how I planned on telling Brittany but now it was too late anyway. I couldn't just leave. I moved to sit on the couch on my right, my movement catching Brittany's eye. She didn't stop what she was doing but she winked at me to let me know that she saw me. I knew I shouldn't blush at her wink. I knew she did it because the music was too loud to speak and she was dancing so she couldn't wave at me. I knew this. But I still blushed.

Also I knew that I shouldn't like so much watching Brittany dancing. But tell that to my brain. She was just so hot while dancing, splitting and turning. She was dancing like that and being bossy at the same time. Actually I was embarrassed to admit that I was kind of turned on. I crossed my legs and shifted uncomfortably on the couch. I wanted a distraction so I threw a glance at Liz, who was oblivious of my presence, and automatically I got out my Brittany-daze. Only then I realized what Quinn was talking about. Liz was so obvious with her leering at Brittany. I knew I wasn't one to talk but I shrugged to myself. I wasn't Brittany's ex so I was totally allowed. That was what I was telling to myself anyway.

I wondered if and what Liz told Brittany. But I went with nothing because she didn't know that Brittany and I knew each other. The music stopped, breaking me out of my thoughts. I saw Brittany standing near the stereo and drinking from a bottle of water. She was breathing really hard and sweat was running down her neck and disappearing under the off-the-shoulder top that she was wearing.

"You got it?" Brittany asked once she finished the whole bottle. Liz probably had been watching Brittany the whole time too, like me. She looked like she tuned in reality again and shook her head, as if to clear it.

"Yeah." She said between her panting and Brittany nodded at her. She sat down and started stretching her long legs. Liz followed doing the same. "Did you come up with this?" She asked.

"With Mike." Brittany said, not looking at her and Liz scoffed.

"Of course." She said and I could imagine her rolling her eyes. She had her back to me so I couldn't see her. Brittany looked up and arched an eyebrow. She ignored her though and stood up. She turned away from both Liz and I, who still didn't notice me, and took off her top, leaving herself in a sports bra and me with a dry mouth. _This woman is trying to kill me, _I thought. I could see a black tattoo on her lower back but the distance was too long for me to make out what it was. But I could make out what the tattoo on her left ribcage was, actually it occupied all her left side. At first I thought it was a snake but then I realized it was a black dragon. It was actually really beautiful, like a masterpiece. The contrast of the black tattoo and her pale skin made the dragon even more imposing.

"Hey, you never told me what those are." Liz said and gestured towards Brittany's tattoos. I noticed that Brittany had crouched down and was rummaging through a duffel bag that was on the wooden floor. The blonde turned to look at her over her shoulder and frowned.

"They are what you see." She said coldly and turned back around. She stood up with a tank top and threw it over her head and tugged it down, effectively hiding her tattoos.

"Yeah, but don't they mean something?" Liz insisted and I tried really hard to ignore the jealousy that settled into me. It was irrational but just thinking about others being so close to the blonde that they could see her tattoos had me frowning. And I knew about her old job, I honestly didn't have a problem with it. But it didn't mean I liked the idea of her being physically close to other people. Brittany turned around and huffed angrily. But before she could say anything I stood up and interrupted her.

"Hey, Britt." I said and she turned quickly at me, like she forgot I was there. Her face softened and came closer.

"Hi." She said and I smiled at her.

"Santana?" Liz wondered and I inwardly cursed.

"You two know each other?" Brittany asked and frowned looking between Liz and I. Liz came and stood next to me.

"Of course we do." She said before I could say anything. I turned to look at her and frowned. She was acting like we _knew _each other but we only met once. She was smirking and I felt a knot tightening in my stomach. I didn't know what she was up to. "We're going on a date, aren't we?" She asked and I choked on nothing with wide eyes. I turned to Brittany and saw her narrowing her eyes, looking between the both of us. "Wait, you know each other?" Liz asked, only then realizing what was going on.

"Y-yeah. We're friends." I said shakily. Brittany glared at me and I frowned at her. Why was she glaring at me? _She _put that label on us.

"You didn't say anything." Liz told me and started looking uncomfortable. I shrugged and she looked around nervously. "Well, I gotta go. I have a class." She said quickly and vanished before Brittany and I could say anything.

"What the fuck?" Brittany asked once the door closed and I turned to her and bit my lip. This wasn't good. "You're going on a date with her?" She asked and gestured towards the door. She was looking at me with a look of disbelief and my eyes widened.

"God no!" I exclaimed. "She's lying." I defended myself but she didn't seem to believe me.

"Oh really?" She snapped and I frowned.

"Why do you believe her and not me?" I wondered and she huffed. "And why would I want to date your ex, Brittany?" I asked frowning and she became even angrier if that was possible.

"So, you know she's my ex and you're still going on a date with her?" She asked me angrily. I understood what Sugar was talking about. You definitely didn't want Brittany directing her anger towards you. But I didn't do anything wrong.

"What's your problem anyway?" I frowned at her and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"My problem is that she's my fucking ex!" She said exasperated, like I couldn't understand what she wanted to say. And maybe I couldn't. "I don't like her."

"If I'm going on a date with her then _I _should like her, not you. Don't you think?" I asked her challengingly. I knew I was pressing her buttons. I just hoped the reaction I would get from her would be one that I could handle.

"No, I don't think." She said irritated. "And I thought you weren't going on a date with her?" She wondered sarcastically.

"I'm not going on a date with her! She asked me to but I said no!" I exclaimed raising my arms. I really didn't like fighting with Brittany. At all.

"Why would she say that then?" She asked me and arched her eyebrows.

"How should I know? She's _your_ ex." I frowned. "She probably wanted to get a reaction from you and she obviously got one." I said and gestured towards her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She frowned back. I looked at her pointedly and she rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not fucking _jealous _of her if that's what you mean." She told me and continued. "It wasn't a serious relationship for fuck's sake." She said exasperated and I sighed. I didn't want to hear about their relationship.

"Look, I would never date your ex. Serious or not. That would be weird." I said and shrugged. "We're friends, right?" I asked and she narrowed her eyes at me but I continued anyway. "Then that would be illegal in my book." I shrugged again and she arched an eyebrow. The anger was still evident in her expression.

"So, that's why you said no. Cause we are 'friends'. And you wouldn't date my ex." She stated angrily, air quoting the friends. I shrugged again, not looking at her.

"Yeah. What other reason do I have?" I asked and pretended that she wasn't the real reason. She huffed and frowned as she stepped closer to me. I frowned in confusion at her still angry behavior. Obviously she _really _didn't like the idea of Liz and I dating. But what was really bothering her? Liz dating someone who wasn't her or me doing that?

She grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to her. My eyes widen in surprise at her actions. Her touch, the proximity of our faces and our mixed breaths caused my heart to start beating faster inside my chest. I looked at her pink lips, only inches away from mine, and wondered what it'd feel like to finally kiss her with that stud below her bottom lip. I glanced up at her beautiful blue eyes and saw that they were a shade darker. She looked like she was fighting an internal battle but she finally made her move.

"Is this good enough reason for you?" She whispered at me and before I could say anything she leaned in and closed the gap between our lips. I closed my eyes and breathed sharply through my nose. My heart skipped several beats and I felt like I was flying. Her touch was so soft and delicate that I started feeling dizzy. It felt weird kissing her with that piercing but not bad weird. It was just different. She put her left hand on the back of my neck, bringing me closer to deepen the kiss and I put my hands on her waist. I caught her bottom lip between mine and sucked on it hard, piercing and all, causing her to groan and to slide her right hand to my lower back and bring me flush against her. I felt her tongue on my upper lip asking for entrance and I granted it immediately. When our tongues made contact I actually moaned at the sensation but I was too wrapped up in this feeling, of Brittany's tongue in my mouth and her whole body against mine, to be embarrassed. The kiss was getting really heated but I managed to find the power to grab her upper arms and push Brittany away from me. Her cheeks were a bright red and she was breathing hard. I probably looked the same. She looked at me questioningly and I took a deep breath before taking a step back from her, so her scent and warmth wouldn't prevent me from thinking clearly.

"Brittany." I sighed. I didn't know why she kissed me. But I had my suspicions.

"I just kissed you." She said quietly. She looked like she just realized what happened a minute ago. "Fuck." She whispered to herself and ran a hand through her hair."This can't happen." She gestured between us. "We're friends." She nodded to herself and turned away from me to go grab her things.

"I don't understand you sometimes." I told her ignoring my hurt feelings at her insisting that we should be friends. She grabbed her bag and turned to me.

"Of course you don't." She said but before I could ask what she meant she continued. "I have to go." She told me and walked towards the door. I frowned.

"Why do you always do that?" I asked her.

"What?" She asked, not looking directly at me.

"Leaving whenever you feel like you're out of control." I told her.

"This isn't about control." She whispered.

"Then what is it about?" I asked.

"I can't do this right now." She said pleadingly, ignoring my question. "You'll see Alice another time." She added quickly before opening the door and leaving me alone. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

I left the dance studio and decided to walk home. I really needed the fresh air. As fresh as it could get in New York. I wanted someone to explain to me what the hell just happened. Why did I have to push her? I frowned to myself. But, if I hadn't pushed her I didn't think she'd kiss me. But why did she kiss me and then tell me that this can't happen? Again? I groaned. There was something between us and today Brittany just showed me that I wasn't the only one who could feel it and that my feelings weren't one-sided. She practically confirmed my suspicions that she didn't like the idea of Liz and I dating because of me not because of Liz. The only thing it took was just this sign from her to make me realize that I was falling for the blonde and I was falling hard.

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A.N.: Hey, what do you think about this chapter?


	14. Chapter 14

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 14:

A.N.: 1. Thank you guys for your great reviews. At first I was having doubts about uploading my story but then you reassured me that you actually like it. It's just that this story is very special to me on a personal level and I can't just change where I'm going with it. If you think I'm going nowhere then I'm sorry, I guess. I appreciate all your opinions though. 2. I'm sorry if you're pissed about mundial taking place in your country, I guess I'd be too. 3. Dear guest, I don't have tumblr so...what poster are you talking about?

Thank you again for your reviews and follows. Enjoy!

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"_Britt." I sighed. Her hands were going up and down my thighs, causing my heart to beat faster inside my chest._

"_We're friends." She whispered and kept kissing my neck. I couldn't speak though. I didn't even know what I wanted to tell her. Her lips on me were preventing my brain to function. She pulled back from my neck and claimed my lips again. She pushed me against the nearest wall and brought both of her hands to cup my breasts. I pulled away from her lips panting and she tugged my tank top down and went to leave open-mouthed kisses on my collarbone and chest.  
_

"_No, we're not." I finally managed to let out. But she ignored me and run a hand down my stomach and cupped my center above my jeans, causing me to moan. I was pretty sure she could feel how wet she was making me even through my jeans. I could practically hear my heartbeats. Like someone was pounding on a door inside my heart._

"Santana!" A voice jolted me awake. I opened my eyes and looked around. I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was six in the morning. I was in my bed and sweat was running down my neck. _Not again, _I groaned. I had been having this kind of dreams for five days.

It had been five days since Brittany kissed me and since I last talked to the blonde. I was in a bad mood and had Quinn coming over to irritate me even more, bugging me to tell her what Brittany did to me. I didn't even tell her it was about her but apparently she knew me too well, effectively irritating me even more. But I said nothing. Because I didn't know what to say, I didn't even know myself. I hadn't felt so short- tempered since high school. Being a lawyer required patience but apparently I had none these days.

There was another knock on my door and I groaned before getting up to change my sweaty top and going to open. I briefly wondered who was knocking on my door that early in the morning but when I opened the door I frowned at the appearance of my mother. She looked really tired and I knew something was wrong. And I knew who this was about too but I decided to hold on to that last little bit of hope that this visit didn't mean what I thought it meant. I stepped back and let her come in before closing the door.

"What are you doing in New York?" I asked and she sighed. She went to the kitchen and I followed her.

"It's your papi." She said, effectively killing my hopes. My father, Antonio Lopez, and his addiction was the cause of many arguments in the Lopez household. Usually it was between him and me, that was why Maribel was here alone. I nodded, trying to keep my composure and not snap at my own mother. But she wasn't looking at me, she started making coffee. "It's a lot." She told me shakily. I thought she was afraid of my reaction, and that was good because I had enough with that man.

"How much did he lose this time?" I snapped angrily, I was definitely awake now. It was the worst time that this could happen to me.

"Five hundred thousand." She said quietly and I stared at her. I leaned forward and side-eyed her.

"What?" I whispered, still trying to process what I just heard.

"Five hundred thousand." She said again, still not looking at me.

"Half a million?" I let out incredulously. "Half a million dollars? How did he manage to lose so much money?" I wondered angrily but I honestly didn't want to know.

"I don't know." She whispered, still not making eye-contact. I ran both hands through my hair and went to sit on a chair, holding my head in my hands.

"Please tell me you're finally kicking him out." I said irritated. I didn't hate him but I couldn't just sit and watch him destroy himself and my mother and me. Maribel swallowed nervously.

"I can't do that, Santanita. We had this conversation a hundred times. I can't kick him out, he's my husband." She said and looked at me pleadingly but I ignored her looks.

"So what? And he's my father! But where the hell am I supposed to find that kind of money?" I snapped angrily but she didn't say anything. "I'm sorry but I'm done with him." I told her shaking my head and stood up again. I wanted to punch something. "This has been happening since I can remember. And I've been giving him money for the last five years." I said as I started pacing around the kitchen. "_Five years._" I emphasized again but Maribel wasn't making eye-contact. It was like she was ashamed. "He needs help. I don't know. I can't find half a million dollars! That's insane!" I said exasperated.

"He'll get help. He promised." She reassured me and I rolled my eyes at her. I was still pacing around.

"He says that every time, mami." I said pointedly. "He's addicted to gambling and he doesn't even acknowledge it!" I said still exasperated.

"Santana." My mother said and I stopped my pacing at her not calling me 'Santanita'. I turned to her to see her serious face. "He understands it now. It's serious. He's in danger." She told me and gave me a mug with coffee. I gulped and felt my stomach sinking.

"He's in danger?" I asked accepting the mug and she nodded at me. It still didn't mean that he would stop though. He's addicted after all. I sighed. "This will be the last time. Then he goes to rehab." I said with finality and my mother smiled relieved at me.

"He has a deadline." She said and I sighed again. "Two weeks." She added and I nodded. I took a sip of my coffee before my mother came around the table to hug me. I allowed myself to relax in her motherly hug. I felt the irritation of the past five days vanishing, and instead it was replaced with tiredness, stress and worry. I had some money but it wasn't enough.

"When are you leaving? Are you staying here with me?" I asked her then, still not breaking her comforting embrace.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning and I'm staying with Mario. Don't worry." She told me and pulled back to smile at me. Mario Esparza was my mother's brother and he was living in New York too. I nodded at her and she cupped my cheeks, fixing me with a serious look. "This will be the last time. I promise you." She said and I swallowed thickly before nodding again. She dropped her hands and looked away from me. "I have maybe…one hundred thousand dollars." She told me and I threw her a questioning look. "Mario and I had a house from our mother back in Puerto Rico and we sold it many years ago but I didn't tell your papi." She explained and I nodded. That was good.

"We'll figure it out." I assured her, although I wasn't sure myself. I fell back into her arms, I needed her comforting warmth at that moment.

"Tell me what's bothering you." She told me after a while.

"Papi's bothering me right now." I said coldly and pulled back to take another sip. Maribel shook her head at me.

"You know you were inside of me for nine months." She said and I scrunched my face. "I can tell something's bothering you. Tell your mami about it." She said softly and I sighed.

"When I find out I'll let you know." I told her. I didn't know how to explain to anyone what was going on with Brittany. I was confused. Maribel seemed to understand that because she just nodded and smiled weakly at me, before pulling me back in her arms.

…

Later that Tuesday I was in my office, working on a case that led me nowhere, when someone opened the door and walked in without even knocking. Only one person could do that so I didn't even bother to glance up from my notes.

"Hey, San." She said and I could hear her chewing her gum, making me want to roll my eyes.

"Sugar." I acknowledged.

"So, what's in six days?" Sugar asked me while getting a sit on a chair opposite mine.

"I don't know." I shrugged, still writing notes. "Full moon?"

"San!" She whined. "It's my birthday." She said pointedly but bored, like that was what she'd been doing all day. And I could definitely imagine that happening.

"Right." I mumbled and looked up at her. "Happy birthday." I told her with a fake smile and she huffed at me.

"Are you coming to my party?" She asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Did I ever miss it?" I asked back and arched an eyebrow. I never really wanted to go, Sugar's parties were too pink for me, but I always went. As annoying as Sugar could be, she was still a good friend. Plus, her father was forcing her to make this 'party' mostly for business, so it was kind of mandatory for me to attend. Sugar invited people from other law firms too. Quinn was going too. Or I'd take her with me even if she wanted to or not.

"No, I'm just making sure." She smiled at me and I forced a smile back before going back to my files. "So…" She trailed off but I ignored her. "Ok." She said to herself like she just found the courage to do something. "Are you and Brittany dating?" She asked me and I actually choked on nothing. I looked up at her and chuckled nervously, clearing my throat.

"I have no idea how you could think that." I said. Sugar didn't know that Brittany kissed me. Twice. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Are you playing with me?" She asked me and I frowned.

"No, Sugar. I can assure you that Brittany and I aren't dating." I stated confidently, ignoring the irritation that settled into me. _I wish, _I thought then. Sugar scoffed.

"I saw her coming in your office, San." She looked at me pointedly. "And not just once."

"That was for business." I said vaguely. Sugar had no idea about Sam and the trial.

"What business do you and Brittany have?" She questioned and side-eyed me. I huffed.

"I don't think Brittany would appreciate your questions." I told her and watched her shoulders deflate.

"Right." She mumbled and looked around. "Well, I should go. Daddy's waiting for me." She said and stood up. I tried my hardest not to roll my eyes. "I'll see you at my party next week." She added then cheerfully with a wink before skipping out of my office. That was close. Thank god Brittany was pretty intimidating towards people. She was with me too at first but then I learnt how to handle her somehow. I still had a lot to learn about her though, for that I was sure. I sighed and went back to work.

...

After two hours I was on a dead end with this case and I was ready to punch anything that would get in my way. A knock on the door caused me to groan and I said loudly 'come in'. I ran both of my hands through my hair and went back to my irritating case. The door opened and then closed but there were neither movements nor voices. I looked up and saw Brittany leaning against the door, staring at me.

"Brittany?" I called her name to get her attention and watched her as she was brought out of her thoughts and she stood up straight. It was strange seeing her after those steamy dreams. But I ignored my blush and wondered what she came here to tell me.

"Uh.." She looked around nervously. "Hi." She said, not looking at me and I huffed.

"Hi." I told her and went back to my case, although I was sure I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Brittany huffed too.

"That's fucking great!" She snapped at me and I looked up narrowing my eyes.

"Aren't you tired of being angry with me?" I wondered."Because I am." I told her pointedly and watched her as she leaned against the door again and ran a hand through her hair.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked me then, her voice more calm.

"Do I have a reason to be mad at you?" I asked her back and she sighed.

"It can't happen, Santana." She told me again and I groaned.

"Why are you doing this?" I wondered frowning but she said nothing and I sighed."You know that I like you, it's obvious. I can't take my eyes off of you whenever we're in the same room. Don't tell me you didn't notice that." I said.

"I did notice it." She shrugged looking away from me. She said nothing else and I sighed angrily.

"Look, if you came here to kiss me and then tell me that it can't happen, then this is not a good time." I said and almost regretted it at the hurt look that appeared on her face. Almost.

"I'm sorry." She said and shook her head. "But I can't." She whispered and I felt the irritation coming back.

"You fucking kissed me, Brittany." I told her angrily."Why did you do that if this,"I gestured between us, "can't happen?" I asked.

"Because I wanted to." She shrugged again and looked away. I groaned.

"You're so confusing right now." I said."What is this about? I thought you trusted me." I told her.

"I do trust you." She told me quietly, still not looking at me.

"Then is it about Liz?" I asked. I had no idea how Liz could be the problem but I was desperate for an answer. Brittany huffed.

"We broke up eight years ago." She told me pointedly.

"Then what is it?" I asked exasperated."Is it about Ali? Cause I thought you trusted me with her too."

"I do." She whispered, not making eye contact.

"Then what the fuck, Brittany?" I asked angrily raising my voice.

"I'm fucking _scared, _Santana!"She finally exploded, turning to look at me and rubbed her hands on her face. I was startled at first but then I leaned back in my chair, staring at her. "You just came into my life being all perfect and shit, making me feel things I wasn't supposed to feel and I don't like it." She shook her head. _Perfect and shit, _I would laugh if I wasn't so surprised. "I don't like it because one day I'm gonna wake up to you realizing where you got yourself into and then hate me!" She exclaimed and raised her arms, letting them fall by her sides and making a loud slap noise. So, this was what was holding her back. Fear.

"I could never hate you, Britt." I whispered at her and she scoffed. She was still leaning against the door.

"You look at me like I'm perfect and I'm not." She said. _You are to me, _I thought but didn't say anything. "I can start naming my flaws today and finish tomorrow, you know." She told me and looked away from me. I sighed and stood up. I made my way towards her and stood right in front of her. She was still not looking at me and I took a deep breath.

"I'm so drawn to you." I whispered and felt my heart started beating faster inside my chest at my confession. If I wanted her to open up to me then I would take the first step. She turned to look at me. "I've never felt like this. With every little thing that you do, you have me captivated. You're perfect to me _with_ your flaws. It scares the shit out of me but you know that I won't let it go." I said and she swallowed nervously. "And I have flaws too. I know there are still things I don't know about you but there are things that you don't know about me too." I whispered shrugging.

"I think that you'll be disappointed." She whispered back. I didn't think that I would be disappointed. I just thought that she was that scared that she was searching for excuses.

"Well…" I started before leaning my whole body against hers, feeling her trembling. I got closer to her ear and whispered at her. "_I_ think that for once…" I trailed off and let my right hand trace her tiger tattoo on her left thigh without looking, feeling goosebumps rise from my touch. I ignored my fast heartbeats and the dizziness her scent was causing me. "You should fight for yourself." I finished still whispering and leaned back to see that she had her eyes closed and her breaths were uneven. "Cause I can't be your friend, Britt." I shrugged again and she opened her eyes to reveal her beautiful blue orbs, our faces a few inches from each other's. I wanted a reaction from her. She swallowed nervously again, our bodies were still flushed against each other. She glanced briefly at my lips before looking me in the eyes again.

"Santana." She sighed and looked at me pleadingly. She was about to continue but the phone ringing interrupted her. I sighed and pulled back away from her body.

"I have to get back to work." I said and gestured towards the phone."But I'll see you soon?" I asked her and she nodded at me before quickly turning to leave.

This time I wasn't irritated or confused though. I knew I got to her, she just needed time to process everything that I told her and I would give her as much time as she needed. She was too strong to let fear get in the way of what she wanted. And I had to find half a million dollars too. I sighed and went back to work.

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A.N.: Let me know what you think.


	15. Chapter 15

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 15:

A.N.: So, here's the next chapter. Thanks for your reviews and follows and favorites!

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On Friday, Maribel's brother Mario, my uncle, called me and asked me to meet him. I figured that it was about my father, Maribel most probably told her brother about it. The two siblings were always really close. The only arguments they had were about my father. My mother was always tolerant towards him but now, the large amount of money that he lost probably caused my uncle to react.

After work I made my way to my uncle's house. It wasn't a big house but it wasn't small either. His wife died from cancer when I was still just a kid and he had been living alone since then. I knocked on the door and waited for him to open. The last time I saw him was in Christmas, almost five months ago. But we talked on the phone often. Sometimes because Maribel was bugging him to call me because_ I_ was alone and other times because Maribel was bugging me to call him because _he_ was alone. The door opened and my uncle appeared smiling at me. I smiled weakly back, noticing his aged facial features.

"You get more and more beautiful every time I see you." He told me with his charming smile and I smiled wider. I had definitely missed him. I immediately fell into his secure arms, hiding my face on his chest. He hugged me back tightly, like he knew I needed his support.

"But you can't be any more charming, even if you tried." I said pulling back from his embrace and he chuckled shaking his head.

"Come in." He said and stepped back to let me in. He turned to go in the kitchen and I followed him after closing the door. "Did you come here from work? Are you hungry? What do you want to drink?" He fired his questions, reminding me of my mother, and I chuckled while getting a sit on the table.

"I'm ok. Just talk to me." I said turning serious and he turned serious too before getting a sit opposite me on the table. He sighed.

"I'm not gonna underestimate your intelligence. You know why you're here." He told me and I nodded at him. My father and the half a million that he owed would be the topic of every conversation my family would be having for a long time. He nodded back and took a deep breath. "I have an idea but I want you to think about it first before denying it." He said and I side eyed him frowning. He knew me too well because we were very alike. He was a lawyer too but he retired four years ago. I probably wouldn't like it if he was making this kind of introduction.

"Ok." I said slowly.

"I think that you should sell your house in Lima and your parents should move in with me." He stated and my eyes widened. It seemed to me such a bad idea.

"Why would you think that this is a good idea?" I asked him and he sighed. But I didn't let him answer my question. "First of all, if papi's tempted to gamble in _Lima, _then New York would be like paradise to him." I said frowning. "And the house is small, I don't think we can get the four hundred thousand that we still want." I added. He probably knew about the hundred thousand that my mother had so I didn't bother to explain it to him.

"Santanita." He sighed and ran a hand through his short grey hair. "It's not just for the money. Antonio would be better here. We'll get him help. And we'll have a close eye on him. Both of us." He said pointedly. I leaned my elbows on the table and started tracing patterns on the wooden table with my finger. He was right, my father wouldn't be alone doing whatever he wanted, Maribel certainly couldn't control him. And my uncle could. But there was another problem.

"I don't think they would want to sell their house. Although papi doesn't really get to have a say." I said bitterly and Mario smiled weakly at me.

"The house is yours, Santanita." He said and I frowned questioningly at him. "They transferred the ownership to you a few months ago." He added. I was still frowning.

"Why?" I asked. He was still smiling weakly at me.

"First of all, Maribel didn't want anything to be on Antonio's name." He said and I nodded. That was understandable. He still managed to lose half a million though. My parents would be homeless if he had the house on his name. "Also, we get older." He told me while grabbing my hand that was still on the table and kissing it. I frowned at him to hide my sadness. I didn't want to think about my parents or my uncle dying. "So, what do you think?" He changed the subject and patted my hand before dropping it. Apparently I didn't hide my sad mood that well.

"I can't just throw them out. I have to talk to mami." I answered and he nodded.

"Yes. But I'm sure she'll agree. She's tired of this situation, Santanita." He told me and I nodded in understanding, remembering her tired face a few days before. But then I thought of something else.

"Why aren't we taking the legal route?" I asked him. "I know it's not my area, and it's not yours either, but I'm sure you know someone who could help." I said and he seemed to be thinking about it.

"We'll have to talk to Antonio. It depends on who he owes the money to. And it won't be very helpful if we spend even more money on lawyers." He answered and I nodded slowly. "But I still think that they should move here anyway." He added.

"So, I'm going to Lima tomorrow." I muttered to myself.

"No, you're not." Mario said quickly. I opened my mouth to protest but he interrupted me. "There's no reason for us to be seen with Antonio. We don't know who's after him." He told me and I swallowed thickly. I knew that my father was in danger, but it felt so much more real hearing it from my uncle. "I'll talk to him about where he owes money and how much we can avoid giving. All you have to do is talk with Maribel tonight and let her know about selling the house." He finished. I wanted to take care of those things myself but I figured my uncle would do a better job talking with my father. I was still angry at him to make a constructive conversation with him. So I nodded at my uncle and hoped that my mother wasn't in danger too.

…

As it turned out, my uncle was right. My mother was more than willing to sell the house and move to New York as soon as possible. She would contact with a realtor on Monday to estimate how much the house cost and then put it on sale.

My uncle called me on Sunday morning to tell me what happened with my father. Apparently the half a million he owed wasn't to only one place. He owed one hundred thousand to a casino, another two hundred thousand to licensed loan sharks and the other two hundred to unlicensed loan sharks. That meant that we could avoid the two hundred to the unlicensed loan sharks if my father ran away from Lima and wouldn't use his name to buy anything or open any accounts. That left us with a debt of three hundred thousand dollars and my father always looking over his shoulder. It was risky running away from loan sharks but everybody was willing to take the risk. I was the only hesitant about it.

I felt the start of a headache just by thinking about all of this. I was lying on my bed on Sunday, trying to figure all this out. Three hundred thousand wasn't half a million but it was still a lot. But we had the house and the one hundred from my mother. My phone ringing interrupted my thoughts and I sat up to grab it from my nightstand. When I saw Brittany's name on the screen, what happened on Tuesday came back to me in full force. I hadn't talked to her since then and I could feel my hands shaking from the nerves. I leaned back on the headboard and answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said shakily.

"_I'm Ali!_" A tiny voice chirped, effectively causing my nerves to vanish and a smile to take over my face.

"Ali who?" I wondered, pretending I didn't know who it was.

"_Ali Piece, Tana!_" Alice giggled, the 'r' not there, making her even more adorable.

"Oh hi Ali." I said with as much cheerfulness as I could muster.

"_Hi!_" She giggled again causing me to chuckle. "_When are you coming?_" She asked me then and I immediately pouted. I had missed the little blonde. Almost as much as I missed her mother.

"Soon Ali girl. I promised you a dance after all." I said softly.

"_Soon!_" She squealed and I nodded smiling weakly, although she couldn't see me. Brittany was right, little Alice was always cheerful. There was some shuffling before I heard Brittany's angelic voice over the phone, causing my heart to jump. "_San?_" She called and I swallowed nervously.

"Hey." I said shakily.

"_How are you?_" She asked me. I decided to be honest.

"Not that good." I answered back, my free hand rubbing up and down my thigh nervously. "How about you two?"

"_We're ok. Ali missed you actually so we called to see how you were doing._" She said. Something in the way she said it told me that it wasn't just Alice that missed me but I didn't comment on it. "_What's wrong?_" She asked then and I sighed. I could trust Brittany.

"It's my dad." I said. There was a brief silence.

"_I-is he ok?_" Brittany asked shakily and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Yeah he's fine. But he's a gambler and he owes a lot of money at the moment." I said bitterly. I heard her letting out a long breath.

"_Can I help you?_" She asked me. I immediately shook my head but she couldn't see me.

"I don't need your money, Britt." I said.

"_What do you need then?_" She asked and I took a deep breath, bringing my free hand to rub on my forehead.

"I need you to tell me what's going on." I answered. There was another silence, in which I stayed still, waiting for her reply. I could practically hear my heartbeats.

"_I don't think we should have that conversation over the phone._" She finally said and I dropped my hand sighing.

"When am I gonna see you then?" I asked her.

"_Sooner than you think, San." _She said softly, confusing me. But I didn't ask what she meant. I figured I would always get cryptic replies from the blonde. "_Anyway._" She said then. "_Is it a lot?_" She asked. "_The money._" She added and I sighed.

"Yeah, it is." I said and ran a hand through my hair.

"_Why can't I help then?_" She asked. I got up from the bed and started pacing in front of my bed.

"Because." I said and she huffed. "I don't want you to give me your money, Britt." I added.

"_Money is nothing when it comes to family, San._" She answered and I could hear the sadness in her voice. She was obviously speaking from her own experience. "_Besides, helping you with your dad would be a nice way to say thanks for everything you've done for me._" She said and I frowned.

"I only did my job." I said back. "And you already paid the firm for it." I added and she sighed again.

"_I'm not talking just for the trial. I'm talking for other things as well._" She said. I wondered what 'things' she was talking about. But as if she sensed that I was going to ask her she spoke up again. "_Just tell me how much._"

"It's _too much_, Britt. Just let it go." I said, still pacing around my bedroom.

"_Ok._" She said and I thought that she accepted. "_You'll tell me when I'll see you again._" She added making me sigh. I wondered if that was how she felt when I was pressuring her to let me help her keep her daughter. The roles were definitely reversed.

…

It was Monday night and I was at Sugar's party. The music was low in the background and I honestly didn't know how I found myself in a group of lawyers that consisted of Quinn, Blaine, Tina, Mercedes and me talking about work. Tina was a co-worker of mine and Mercedes was a co-worker of Quinn and Blaine.

"Ok. A law that shouldn't exist. Go!" Mercedes said and pointed to Tina.

"Adultery being illegal." Tina said immediately. I took a sip from the glass of wine that I was holding and tuned them out as they started arguing about everything immoral being illegal and the separation of the state and the church.

I briefly wondered if Brittany would come at Sugar's birthday party but I doubted it. I had been coming to this party for five years and I had never seen her. I was sure if I had seen her beautiful face before, I would certainly remember her.

"Ok ok, my turn." Blaine said loudly and I turned to find him looking back at me. "A law that shouldn't exist is that of unmarried women automatically getting the custody of the child after their birth." He said, almost glaring at me and I did my best to not roll my eyes. I couldn't believe that he was still bitter about it.

"The court treats both the mother and the father equally, Blaine." I said pointedly. Maybe he was right, it was unfair for the father generally. But Blaine was talking about Sam and Brittany, and in that case unfair would be if Sam got custody since he abandoned both the mother and the child for almost four years. He was about to reply when Sugar's voice was heard in the room.

"Yooo everybody!" She exclaimed in the microphone, and I turned to see her fist bumping the air. I could imagine her father shaking his head irritated. She was loud enough to stop the conversation I was having with Blaine. I turned to Quinn to see her pointing towards Mercedes, silently telling me that they would go somewhere quieter and I nodded.

I watched as the two of them disappeared somewhere in Sugar's house and then I went to the table where the drinks were while Sugar kept talking. She was flirting with the deejay while everybody was listening to her. She was probably already slightly drunk. I snorted a laugh at her forwardness while pouring another glass of wine.

"She's quite something, isn't she?" Someone whispered in my ear. I knew that voice and that scent and that warmth radiating from a perfect body. The familiar shivers that were sending down my spine confirmed that I wasn't imagining it. I put my glass on the table and slowly turned around to be met with alluring blue eyes looking back at me. Brittany was standing really close to me, wearing a short strapless black dress having her purple flower tattoo on her chest and her tiger tattoo on her thigh exposed. She looked so hot and sexy. Her hair held high in a ponytail exposing her cleavage and her short dress showing off her endless legs were causing me to have a hard time not remembering all those dreams I had about her wearing nothing. I looked back at her eyes to see that she was looking at my outfit too. I was wearing a similar dress to hers, only it was purple.

"Britt?" I called her name and she made eye contact again.

"You're so beautiful, Santana." She whispered softly and I blushed slightly.

"You are too, Britt." I whispered back. If we weren't so close we wouldn't be able to hear ourselves over the loud music that was now playing. "Gorgeous." I added and Brittany blushed slightly too. "What are you doing here though?" I asked her then and she rolled her eyes at me.

"You've been asking me that since we met, you know." She said chuckling. I chuckled too.

"I've never seen you at Sugar's birthday party before." I said pointedly and she shrugged.

"I've never came before. It's full of boring lawyers talking about boring legal shit." She said looking around and I snorted.

"That's so stereotypical. Not all lawyers are boring and talk about 'boring legal shit'." I defended. She arched an eyebrow at me.

"All lawyers I've ever met are just like that." She said looking directly at me and I frowned.

"I'm not boring." I protested.

"No." She shook her head and stepped even closer to me. "You're kinda special." She said quietly. I swallowed nervously at her proximity.

"S-so." I stuttered. "Why did you come here if it's a boring party?" I asked her.

"Cause you'd be here." She shrugged and looked away from me.

"Britt." I sighed. I wouldn't play around anymore. She knew how I felt about her. "You have to tell me." I told her.

"What?" She asked making eye contact again.

"If you're gonna fight for me." I said and she sighed. She stepped even more close to me and looked at me through her eyelashes. My heart was beating so fast I feared it might stop.

"No." She breathed against my lips, biting her pierced bottom lip. Her breath was causing goosebumps to rise all over my body. But then my brain processed what she said and my face fell.

"No?" I asked and she shook her head, looking at my lips.

"I'm gonna fight _with _you." She said and looked up at my eyes again. "If you want to?" She added quietly, suddenly looking unsure.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, I thought about what you said and I…" She trailed off while playing with her hands nervously between us and swallowed nervously. "I like you too." She finally shrugged. She didn't give me a speech but that was more than enough for me. Our faces where still just a few inches from each other's and I suddenly had the urge to kiss her. "So, are you in?" She asked me. I immediately nodded my head and she smiled softly at me, putting her hands on my waist and sliding them on my back so she was hugging me. I could feel my heart wanting to get out of my chest. "Can I kiss you?" She whispered. I swallowed thickly and put my hands on her toned arms, feeling her soft skin and her muscles tensing from my touch. I still wasn't used to the buzzing that our skin to skin contact was causing me and I didn't think I would ever get over it.

"Here?" I asked her and looked around. Others were busy dancing, others were chatting and others were just drinking by themselves. I looked back at her just in time to see her shrugging like she didn't care about others seeing us.

"Hey." A voice interrupted before Brittany could say anything. I pulled back from her arms and we both turned to see Quinn looking between us. I didn't think anyone would notice the question that Quinn's hazel eyes held but I definitely did.

"Hey, Q." I said ignoring my blushing and looked at Brittany who was looking at Quinn with an expressionless face before looking at my blonde best friend again. Quinn knew about the trial and that Brittany had been a prostitute so I didn't know how they would interact. "Do I introduce you two?" I wondered.

"I don't think that's necessary." Quinn answered, looking at Brittany with the same look that Brittany was fixing her with. They were staring at each other like they were challenging each other silently and I feared they wouldn't get along.

"Hello, Quinn." Brittany finally said with a small smile. Quinn smiled back, easing the tension that was starting to surround us and making me silently sigh in relief.

"How are you?" Quinn asked. "You haven't taken over our class for a while. I think that I'm the only one from the group who doesn't have a problem with Mike." She chuckled and Brittany surprised me by chuckling too.

"Yeah, I don't understand why people like me." She shrugged. I definitely understood why though. "It's not like I make small talk with them."

"You're a great teacher that's why." Quinn said smiling and Brittany smiled back. They were speaking few words but their eyes held so much more. It was like Brittany was willing to give Quinn a chance and Quinn was reassuring her that she was ok with Brittany and her past. "So anyway." My best friend said after a few seconds of the two of them communicating their friendliness with their eyes. She turned to me. "Just wanted to tell you that I'm leaving. Mike called." She shrugged and I nodded at her. But then her eyes widen and she quickly looked at Brittany. "I mean- " She started to say but the blue eyed blonde cut her off.

"I don't have a problem with you two dating." Brittany reassured her immediately and Quinn relaxed again. "It's not like you're a minor or you get assessed or anything." She shrugged and my friend nodded smiling relieved.

"Well, it was great seeing you." Quinn told Brittany. Brittany nodded back and Quinn sent me a look, letting me know that I would have to tell her everything later, before leaving. I turned to Brittany and bit my lip.

"Are you two ok?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"Yeah." She said. "Come with me?" She asked and held her hand open, silently asking for mine. I shakily took her soft and warm hand in mine feeling her warmth settling into me and she gripped my hand tighter. She turned around, effectively giving me a perfect view of her ass in that dress, causing my mouth to go dry. She led me through the crowd until we reached the balcony. It was silent outside, the music and voices from inside could be heard lowly in the background. Brittany dropped my hand causing me to pout and went to lean her elbows on the railing, staring at the view ahead of her. "So, tell me about your dad." She said not looking at me and my pout transformed to a skeptical frown. I went and leaned my hip on the railing, facing her, and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"This is his last time. We're selling the house in Lima and my parents are moving here in New York to live with my uncle." I told her and she nodded. She wasn't making eye contact and she had a solemn look on her face. "He owes some of the money to loan sharks but he won't pay them because he's leaving Lima anyway. But I'm still scared that they'll find him, you know?" I said and she turned her head to me, her face softening.

"We'll get him protection." She told me and put a hand on my upper arm reassuringly. "And I know the right guy." She said taking her hand away from me and turning to look in front of her again.

"Like a bodyguard?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"Yeah." She said and I wondered how come she knew about those things. "So how much?" She asked turning to me and leaned her head on her hand.

"Three hundred thousand." I shrugged and looked down at my feet before looking up at her while she was nodding skeptically.

"That's a lot." She commented and I bit my lip nodding. "I can help though." She said pointedly and I immediately shook my head. But before I could say anything she spoke again. "I needed money once too, you know. I'm like a pro at finding them." She said it teasingly but my eyes widen. I stared at her and hoped that she didn't mean what I thought she meant. After a few seconds her eyes widen as well and stood up straight and turned to me. "Oh no, not like that. I'm never having sex for money again." She shook her head and looked away from me. "And that's a lot of money to earn like that." She said quietly and I nodded relieved.

"Well, tomorrow I'll know for sure how much we have and how much we still want." I told her and she nodded at me, stepping closer.

"Let me know, ok?" She asked quietly and I nodded.

"Where's little Ali?" I asked her and she smiled softly at the mention of her daughter.

"With my sister." She said and I nodded again. She grabbed my arms that were still crossed in front of my chest and uncrossed them. "Now can I finally kiss you?" She asked me and tugged me closer, bringing our bodies flushed against each other. I never liked being so touchy with people but I definitely had no problem with Brittany manipulating my body. So I nodded at her and she put my arms around her waist before bringing her arms around my neck. She leaned in and touched softly her lips against mine. I enjoyed the happiness that settled into me that I got to kiss that blue eyed, blonde haired angel standing in front of me and relished in the feeling she was causing me. That everything would be fine as long as she had me in her arms.

* * *

A.N.: Tell me your thoughts.


	16. Chapter 16

Imagining Tigers

Chapter 16:

A.N.: To that guest who asked me about the tattoos, i'm sorry but i don't have tumblr and i don't even have those drawings anymore. But there's this great poster that someone made on tumblr and it can give you an idea about the flower and the tiger. You can find it here: ohvalerievalerie tumblr com/post/88281632253/brittana-imagining-tigers-x

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

It was Tuesday and I was in my office on my lunch break. Maribel just called to tell me that the house was on sale and it cost one hundred and something thousand. I had some money from bonuses and allowances, so the money that we had went to two hundred and fifty thousand with the money from the house in Puerto Rico too. We still needed another fifty thousand.

What was bothering me the most though wasn't the money. It was the fact that I couldn't go to Lima because I might become a target but my mother was living there, in the same house as my father. Wasn't she in danger too? But by the end of this week they would be moving in New York anyway. The realtor wouldn't advertise that the house was on sale. So, they only had to be discreet about the moving out. I still wanted to be there for them, I felt like I was leaving them alone.

I groaned at my own thoughts and grabbed the phone to call the only person who could make me forget about it for a while. Brittany. I couldn't control myself around the blonde and the night before was another confirmation of that for me. We had been kissing for a while but it felt only seconds to me. When my hands started to wander, she stopped me saying that we should take it slow. And I agreed. I totally did. But she was right in front of me, willing to kiss me. How could I ignore that?

I was brought out of my thoughts when someone answered the phone but no one spoke.

"Hello?" I said.

"_Hi!_" Someone giggled and I chuckled. I mentally scolded myself. How could I forget that little Alice could take my mind off of my problems too?

"What's up, Ali girl?" I asked her. I wondered if Brittany knew that her daughter answered her phone.

"_Mommy's gonna be sooooooo mad I pressed the beep." _She giggled again and I shook my head trying not to laugh. Apparently Brittany didn't know. "_When are you coming Tana?_" She asked me then.

"I don't know, sweetheart." I told her softly. "I'll talk with your mommy, ok?"

"_Ok, soon!_" She squealed loudly. "_Oh no!_" She whispered then and I heard some shuffling before Brittany's muffled voice came over the speaker.

"_No TV for you today then._" She said to her daughter. I could imagine little Alice pouting and Brittany's sexy stern face. I knew it was inappropriate thinking that she was sexy when she was scolding her daughter. But I couldn't help it, especially now that I got to kiss that face. "_San?_" Brittany called, her voice now more clear over the phone.

"Your daughter is something else, Britt." I told her chuckling and I could imagine her rolling her eyes.

"_Yeah, sometimes I wonder if sneakiness is hereditary._" She said and I chuckled.

"I'm sure you're very sneaky." I told her sarcastically and she huffed.

"_I can be if I want to." _She protested and I snorted.

"I don't think you want to though." I said pointedly. But then I thought better about it. "But you were so serious when I first met you. And that coming from me is a pretty big deal. I'm a lawyer, I work with serious people all day. So I guess yeah, maybe you're kinda right. You can be playful." I finished smiling.

"_You do that to me. You make it so easy being carefree around you._" She said quietly causing me to drop my smile and swallow thickly at her admission. I felt proud but also special because beside Alice, who was her daughter, no one else but me could affect her in that way. "_So, what's up?_" She asked me after a few seconds of silence. "_Do you know about the money?_"

"Yeah." I breathed. "We still want fifty thousand." I shrugged and pushed my glasses that fell low on my nose back up again. I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist and I had to not wear my contact lenses for two days.

"_What would you say if told you I can give you that money?_" She asked me and I frowned standing up.

"I would say no." I said and went to stare at the traffic out the window in my office. I took a deep breath. "I would also say that I want to see you." I added nervously and she sighed.

"_Santana, please._" She said.

"Do you two want to come over my house in the afternoon? Little Ali keeps asking when we're gonna see each other." I said, ignoring her plead. "We could watch a movie or something?" I asked hesitantly. I was nervous about it but I didn't know why. It wasn't like she would say no. Was it?

"_Ok, then._" Brittany said after a while making me sigh relieved_. _"_I'll bug you face to face._" She added and I rolled my eyes. "_Revenge is a plate best served cold, my friend._" She said teasingly and I frowned. Both because I realized how annoying I was when I wanted to represent her at the court and because she said 'friend'.

"I'm not your friend, Britt." I said.

"_I know._" She said quietly and I wondered if we weren't friends then what were we? But I let it go. I wouldn't pressure her to put a label on us. It was enough for me that Brittany admitted she liked me back and was opening up to me.

"Hey, I have to get back to work but I'll see you later?" I asked her and went to sit on my chair again.

"_Yeah. Text me your address._" She answered and then we said our goodbyes. I immediately texted her my address and went back to work. I couldn't wait until the afternoon to see my two favorite blondes.

…

I was in a hurry to go home and clean up the apartment before Brittany and Alice arrive. I wasn't spending much time in my apartment but it was still messy. When I got out of my office I ran into Sugar. When she saw me she narrowed her eyes at me and I frowned.

"You." She said and pointed at me while walking towards me. I arched an eyebrow at her. "You lied to me." She accused me and I arched both eyebrows.

"When did I lie to you?" I asked her and she rolled her eyes when she was in front of me.

"About you and Brittany dating. You were all over each other last night. I was drunk, not blind." She said quietly and looked at me pointedly. I tried my hardest not to groan. That was my business. And Brittany's. But when I actually thought about it I didn't even know myself if we were dating. But I didn't really care at that moment. I got to spend time with Brittany and Sugar was preventing me from it.

"Last time I checked Brittany didn't like it when people were all over her business." I said arching an eyebrow and looked around to see if anyone was listening to the conversation but everybody was minding their own business. I was expecting Sugar to let it go but she didn't.

"I asked her too, you know." She shrugged and I side-eyed her.

"Yeah? And what did she say?" I asked, wanting to know what Brittany thought that was going on between us.

"Uh.." Sugar looked around and then back at me. "She ignored me actually." She said defeated and I chuckled. Of course. What was I thinking? Brittany wouldn't answer that question to Sugar. She probably didn't know the answer herself, like me.

"Well, I think you should just forget about it." I shrugged and forced a smile. I patted her on the shoulder when she huffed and I passed by her to leave the firm and go home.

When I arrived home I changed from my work clothes into jeans and a tank top. I checked if I could see without my glasses but once again I reminded myself that I was actually blind without them. So I put them back on and got over it. Brittany would see them eventually anyway.

I started cleaning the apartment only to realize how dangerous it would be for little Alice to get hurt on the corners of that coffee table or trip over her feet and hit the furniture that the TV was on. I started panicking and regreted inviting them to come over just in time to hear the bell ringing. My eyes widened and I quickly gathered all the sheets that were on the coffee table, bills, leaflets, bank statements, and threw them in a drawer of the coffee table and stood up. I ran my clammy hands down my thighs and tried to calm down.

I went to the door, took a deep breath and opened it. Before I could realize what was going on I felt something hitting my legs with force. I looked down to see Alice hugging me, effectively causing my panic to vanish. I would be watching her the whole time so she wouldn't get hurt.

"Hey, Ali girl." I said and ran my hand through her blonde hair and she glanced up smiling brightly at me, causing me to smile too.

"Tana!" She squealed and extended her arms. I bent down and picked up the little tiger and then turned to see the mother tiger. _God, Brittany was so beautiful._

"Hey." I said smiling softly and she smiled back. I stepped to the side to let her in. She squeezed my arm that was holding her daughter when she passed by me as a greeting and once again I felt dizzy from her touch and her scent. I closed the door and turned to see Brittany having an eyebrow arched at me.

"What?" I asked her as little Alice started playing with my hair.

"And I'm the nerd?" She asked and sucked her lips, probably trying not to laugh. I frowned at her.

"I don't understand." I told her but then Alice tried to take my glasses off and I realized what Brittany was talking about. "What's up with you and all these stereotypes lately?" I asked her back frowning and she snorted. "_You _are a nerd. You're a mathematician." I said pointedly in a high-pitched voice and pushed my glasses back up on my nose with my free hand. "I'm just not allowed to wear contacts for two days." I shrugged and went to sit on the couch with Alice on my lap. Brittany narrowed her eyes at me.

"Yeah, whatever." She said and sat next to me. "You're still hot." She whispered and I arched an eyebrow at her but little Alice, that was now straddling my legs and facing me, cupped my cheeks and turned my head to look at her. She squeezed my face, making me look like a fish and she giggled. My full lips being pushed like that were probably an amusing sight for her.

"So, what did you do today?" I asked the little blonde, my words muffled because she still had her tiny hands on my cheeks. But when I asked she dropped them and pouted.

"Nothing cause mommy got mad." The little blonde frowned and turned to glare at Brittany. But it didn't bother the tall blonde that much. She just relaxed on the couch and crossed her arms and legs, arching an eyebrow at her daughter and her tongue started playing with the piercing on her bottom lip.

"Oh, she does that a lot." I said teasingly looking at the tall blonde and she rolled her eyes before glaring at me. I got the message. "But, I'm sure she had a good reason?" I more asked than said and Brittany nodded approvingly at me. _Yeah, I saved it. _I turned to look at Alice again and found her pouting. I poked her tummy to make her laugh and she giggled, grabbing my finger to stop me.

"Ali." Brittany said then and the little blonde turned to look at her mother and swallowed nervously. But Brittany smiled softly at her. "I think it's time for San's gift." She said and I frowned as little Alice clapped her hands giggling and hopped off my lap. She sat on the floor and took off her backpack that only now I realized she wore. She started rummaging through it as Brittany shuffled closer to me on the couch and put her arm behind me on the back of the couch. "Santa came early this year." She whispered at me and I turned to look at her frowning.

"It's still May." I said pointedly and she shrugged like she didn't care. And she probably didn't. She turned to see her daughter and winked at her as little Alice stood up and came to stand in front of me, holding three different white envelopes in her tiny hands.

"Ok." The little blonde said and took a deep breath, like she was preparing herself for a rehearsed speech. "You have to dance." She started but then she winced and looked at Brittany. "No, no." She shook her head.

"Baby, it's ok." Her mother said softly and nodded encouragingly. The little blonde nodded too and turned to me again. I was still frowning in confusion as to what was happening.

"You promised to dance with me but you have to take these first." She said and gave me the envelopes but she shook her head again before I could take them and groaned. "You have to take them and then you have to dance with me." She whined and her bottom lip started trembling like she was about to cry. My eyes widened. I had no idea what was happening but I definitely didn't want the little blonde to start crying. Especially because of me. "You have to take them." She said again and gave me the envelopes. I took them and frowned at them. "You have to." She repeated.

"Hey look, I took them and we're gonna dance, I promised." I said softly, still not understanding what the problem was. The little blonde nodded at me and I turned to Brittany to see her expressionless face. Didn't she care that her daughter was about to cry for no reason? Little Alice sniffled and I turned back to her. "What's wrong?" I asked and she sniffled again but her eyes didn't fill with tears.

"Mommy said that you have to take them if you want to dance with me." She said pouting and I frowned. I looked at the tall blonde again who was nodding at her daughter but stopped when I looked at her.

"Britt." I said warningly.

"Just open them." Brittany, who was still really close to me, whispered in my ear. I narrowed my eyes at her but she ignored me and picked up her daughter, kissing her cheek and sitting her on her lap. "Go on." She said again and I sighed. I opened the first envelope to find a check of ten thousand dollars. My eyes widen and I looked at her in surprise.

"Britt-" I started and went to give her the envelopes but she covered my hands with her free one.

"Open them." She said again and I sighed. I opened all of them to find two checks of ten thousand dollars and one of thirty thousand dollars. All three of them from three different bank accounts, none of them were Brittany's.

"What are these?" I asked and gestured towards the checks.

"My tickets." Alice squealed and I arched an eyebrow at her happy mood. When she realized it she pouted again. "You have to dance with me." She added quietly and I turned to Brittany narrowing my eyes.

"You can't be serious." I told her. Was she seriously using her daughter to get me to accept the checks?

"Do you enjoy seeing my baby pouting?" She asked and hugged her daughter closer to her. I groaned.

"I can't believe you." I said and shook my head. "I can't believe that the only time that I want you to be serious you're being like that." I said and went to give her the checks again.

"Ok, ok." She said and pushed the checks back in my hands. She put her daughter down on the floor, who apparently got bored of us because she went to her backpack and got out a painting book and put it on the coffee table before starting to paint. Brittany turned to me again. "You don't have to worry about the money, San. You have it all." She said and grabbed my hand that wasn't holding the checks and brought it on her lap. "All you have to worry about is for your parents to come to New York safely." She shrugged and bit her bottom lip.

"That's a lot of money." I said pointedly, my hand was still in her lap, between both of hers.

"I won't miss them, I promise." She shrugged again and I arched an eyebrow at her. "I'll just be obliged to some people." She said and I frowned.

"What do you mean 'obliged'?" I asked her and she sighed.

"It's called web advertising." She said pointedly and I narrowed my eyes at her. "It's complicated, I'll explain another time." She shrugged and I groaned. But she ignored me. "Do you want to send Matt to bring your parents to New York?" She asked me and I frowned.

"Who's Matt?" I wondered.

"He's a guy that'll make sure your dad stays safe from now on." She said and I sighed.

"I don't know. We'll see." I told her and she nodded at me. She tugged my hand to get us closer so she could whisper in my ear. Her one hand was still holding mine and she put her other arm on the back of the couch and started playing with my hair at the nape of my neck.

"I want to kiss you but my daughter is right there." She said whispering, her breath hitting my skin and causing me to shiver and close my eyes.

"Brittany." I sighed, still amazed by the effect she had on me. I definitely wanted to kiss her too but not in front of little Alice. I didn't trust myself not to lose control once my lips touch Brittany's. I opened my eyes to glance at her pierced pink lips and then at the beautiful blue eyes that I was falling for.

"Mommy, are we gonna watch Nemo now?" Alice asked, interrupting our moment and Brittany pulled away from me to look at her daughter.

"You have to ask Santana, sweetie." She answered and the little blonde turned to me.

"Tana?" She asked.

"We can do whatever you want, little Ali." I said softly and she smiled brightly at me.

"Really?" She asked and I nodded smiling at her. "Dankeschön." She said cheerfully and I blinked a few times shaking my head.

"What?" I asked but little Alice was busy, apparently looking for Nemo in her backpack. I turned to Brittany frowning to see that her eyes widened and she was staring at her daughter.

"She said thank you politely." She told me and turned to look at me.

"She did?" I frowned and she nodded.

"Yeah, in German." She said not looking at me and I arched my eyebrows.

"You're German?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"No. I mean yes but half." She said, still not looking at me. "But I don't speak German. I mean I do but I don't." She told me quietly and shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"Britt, you're not making any sense." I said frowning and she swallowed thickly.

"I'm half German, and I know German but I haven't spoken it for years so I don't know where she learnt that from. Probably Anna." She frowned looking at her daughter who came and stood in front of her.

"So, one of your parents is German?" I asked her and she nodded, taking the DVD case from her daughter.

"My mom." She said and tried to hide her now sad face by giving me the case.

"What's wrong?" I asked her taking the case and she shrugged.

"I'll tell you once this whole thing with your dad is over. There's no reason to put that in your head too. It's nothing really." She shrugged again and I arched an eyebrow at her, not believing her that it was nothing. But she smiled reassuringly at me so I just nodded slowly, letting it go for now.

…

After we had eaten the pizza that we ordered, little Alice immediately fell asleep between Brittany and I. We were halfway through Nemo when Brittany took off her daughter's shoes and picked her up. She lay her on the other couch and put the throw pillows on the side of the couch, so the little blonde wouldn't fall off.

"Isn't it early for her to sleep?" I asked when I saw that the time was only eight.

"She always falls asleep just after she eats." She shrugged and came to sit on the couch again. "Do you want to watch that?" She asked and gestured towards the TV, where Nemo was still playing.

"Of course." I frowned and she arched an eyebrow at me.

"Ok then." She said challengingly and crossed her legs. I rolled my eyes and turned off the TV before turning to her. "You're so easy." She said seriously and I huffed.

"You're so annoying." I said back and she smirked. She turned to make sure that her daughter was asleep before turning back to me. She took my glasses off and put them on the coffee table.

Brittany put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to her body, her other hand on my thigh. I immediately cupped her cheeks and brought our lips together, causing her to breath sharply through her nose. My heartbeats increased to that familiar pace they got whenever Brittany was around. I sucked her pierced bottom lip, causing her to moan. I had never heard a sexier sound in my life, if you go with how wet it made me. I noticed that she liked it whenever I sucked her piercing and I wondered what it would feel like to have someone sucking a piercing that I would have on my lip.

But Brittany's hands tugging me so I was straddling her brought me back to what was happening. I settled on her lap, my hands that were on her cheeks went in her hair and angled her head to deepen the kiss. I felt her tongue on my upper lip, asking for entrance and I opened my mouth, welcoming her perfect tongue. Her hands went on my waist and she straightened up, bringing our bodies flushed and causing me to moan too. The feeling of her breasts against mine and her tongue fighting with mine for dominance, her hands going up and down my sides and occasionally sliding on my lower back bringing our hips together, caused me to get even more wet.

The only things that were heard in the room were the moans and heavy breathing that Brittany and I were creating. Until my phone started to buzz. I reluctantly pulled back from Brittany and went to get up from her but she grabbed the back of my thighs and pulled me closer to her again. Her lips went straight on my neck, causing me to gasp both in surprise and at the feeling of Brittany's tongue licking my pulse point. I put my hands on her shoulders with difficulty and pushed her away from me. She whined and I smirked at her before getting up and grabbing my phone. When I saw who was calling me I gulped and looked at Brittany with wide eyes. She frowned questioningly at me, trying to calm down her heavy breathing but I ignored it and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Santana." Came the deep and raspy voice of my father. I immediately knew something was wrong because he was breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" I asked and there was a brief silence.

"Your mami's been shot."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

"_Santana." Came the deep and raspy voice of my father. I immediately knew something was wrong because he was breathing heavily._

"_What's wrong?" I asked and there was a brief silence._

"_Your mami's been shot."_

I blinked a couple of times, trying to clear my blurry vision but nothing changed.

"What?" I asked, my brain not able to really process what I just heard, and grabbed my glasses from the coffee table and put them on. I looked around as if the answers to the million of questions that were forming in my head would be in my living room.

"_She's been shot._" He said again and I bit my lip to keep my composure and not break down in front of Brittany, who was still sitting on the couch and looking at me with worry visible all over her face.

"Wh-where is she? I-is she…" I stuttered and trailed off. I swallowed thickly.

" _We're at home._" He started and my eyes widened. I interrupted him before he could say anything else.

"What? Why? Why are you at home? Why aren't you at the hospital? My mami has a bullet inside of her! Why aren't you at the hospital?" I fired my questions and Brittany's eyes widened. But I ignored her and started pacing around the living room. "Oh my god! She's not…" I choked, not able to finish not even my thought. Brittany stood up and came to grab my shoulders, effectively causing me to stop pacing.

"_She's fine, Santana. We couldn't go to the hospital, they would call the police._" He said nervously and I sighed relieved. But then I huffed at him.

"How is she fine? You said she's been shot!" I said exasperated and leaned my forehead on Brittany's shoulder. She put her arms around me and started rubbing my back comfortingly, making me feel secure in her arms and weirdly relaxed, if you consider the situation that we were in.

"_Shirley took care of her._" He mumbled. Shirley was their neighbor in Lima and she was a nurse. I figured it would be easier to explain how the bullet got there to Shirley, who was my mother's friend, than explain it to the police. But how did the bullet got there?

"Who did that?" I asked him and looked up at Brittany who was still holding me. She was biting her bottom lip, the worry was still on her face. I mouthed at her that my mother was ok and she nodded at me relieved as she let me free, kissing my forehead. She went to grab her phone and started shuffling on it, walking towards the kitchen. I frowned questioningly but ignored it when my father started speaking again.

"_That guy came to our house._" Antonio mumbled and I started pacing around the living room again. Now that Brittany wasn't holding me and wasn't even in the same room as me, I felt my irritation coming back.

"What guy?" I asked him and there was a brief silence before he answered.

"_That guy that gave me the money. He wanted money and I said I have it and I'd give it to him but he didn't believe me. And then I told him to not hurt her but he shot her on her thigh. He shot her instead of me._" He ranted shakily. He was probably feeling guilty about it and he should.

"Do you realize what you've done?" I asked him angrily and started walking towards the kitchen to find Brittany, afraid I might wake up Alice who was still sleeping on the couch. I didn't wait for him to answer though. "This is your fucking fault!" I exclaimed while pacing around the kitchen. Brittany was leaning on the counter with her arms crossed. It looked like she had been talking on the phone. "Do you realize that you're destroying your family? They shot your wife!" I told him pointedly, the anger still evident in my voice. Brittany shook her head at me. She probably wanted to tell me that this wasn't necessary. And she was probably right. It was obvious that Antonio was shocked by what happened. "I want to talk to her." I said then more calmly and went to stand in front of Brittany.

"_Santana._" He sighed but I didn't want to talk to him anymore. I didn't think I would be able to forgive him easily this time.

"Just put her on the phone." I told him again firmly and he sighed again. There was some shuffling before I heard her voice.

"_Mija, I'm fine._" Maribel said softly and my eyes were immediately filled with tears when I heard her voice.

"Oh thank God." I breathed relieved and fell back in Brittany's arms who hugged me tightly. "Does it hurt?" I asked then, my words muffled from Brittany's shoulder.

"_Not at the moment. Shirley gave me painkillers._" She said slowly, it sounded like she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I asked her and bit my bottom lip.

"_Yes, Santanita. I'm just really sleepy because of the drugs._" She answered and I nodded pulling back from Brittany's embrace.

"Ok, then. I'll let you go to sleep and I'll see you tomorrow." I told her but before she could protest I said 'bye' and ended the call. I looked up at Brittany and she arched an eyebrow at me.

"You're not going to Lima." She said and crossed her arms in front of her chest. I snorted at her.

"Of course I am." I said frowning and turned to leave the kitchen. But Brittany grabbed my arm and turned me around to face her again.

"No, you're not. It's fucking dangerous." She said with finality and shook her head.

"They just shot my mom, Brittany. I'm not leaving them alone anymore." I said frowning. "This is my fault, I shouldn't have left them alone in the first place." I mumbled and broke my arm free from Brittany's grasp and turned to go to my bedroom. Brittany followed me.

"Even if you were there you wouldn't be able to do anything. You're not bulletproof, San. And that's why Matt's going instead of you." She told me as I took off my glasses and started wearing my contact lenses.

"And Matt is bulletproof?" I asked frowning.

"No, but he's four times your size and he has a gun." She said pointedly. I arched my eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, I don't know the guy." I said still not looking at Brittany.

"Well, do you trust me?" She asked me and I turned to look at her. She was leaning against the doorframe and looking at me biting her bottom lip, like she wasn't sure of the answer.

"Yes." I said pointedly.

"I trust Matt with my life, San." She told me. I frowned questioningly at her but she ignored me. "And we're going to introduce him to you and then he'll go to Lima." She said and I sighed. I stood up and went to stand right in front of her.

"I'm scared, Britt." I whispered at her. "I don't want anything happening to them."

"Oh honey, I know." She said back softly, effectively causing butterflies to erupt inside my stomach. Both at the term of endearment and at her sweet and soft tone. She said it like she actually cared about my parents as much as I did. Like she knew how I felt. "And when you'll meet Matt you'll understand. He's gonna do a great job at protecting them, I promise." She said and I nodded slowly. "Come on." She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my bedroom. "We'll take Ali to Anna, I've already called her. And then we're going to find Matt." She told me over her shoulder and I nodded biting my bottom lip. I still wanted to go to Lima myself but I agreed to meet this guy just because Brittany asked me to. I took a mental note to ask her later why she trusted him with her life.

…

We made our way to Anna's apartment. I had asked Brittany if she wanted to go to her apartment first to grab change clothes for Alice but she had said that she had clothes at her sister's too.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence. I couldn't help but feel guilty too about what happened to my mother. I wondered if we still had to pay those people too and what was going to happen once my parents were in New York. But I trusted Brittany and if she believed that this Matt guy could help then I would give him the chance. I just hoped that this scared my father enough to make him get help and get over his addiction problem.

We arrived at Anna's and I gave the taxi driver some money before getting out. Brittany followed me with a sleeping Alice in her arms. That kid was such a heavy sleeper, I was pretty sure if a bomb was to explode next to her ear, she still wouldn't wake up. I held the door open for Brittany and she smiled gratefully at me. I didn't think there would ever be a time when I wouldn't be able to appreciate how beautiful she was when she was smiling. Especially when her smile was directed at me. I followed her up to her sister's apartment and she knocked on the door. We waited until a tall dark-skinned, dark-haired guy that only wore boxers, opened the door.

"Brittany." He said in surprise and gulped nervously. He glanced at me then back at Brittany who hoisted her daughter further up on her body and arched an eyebrow.

"You're answering the door like that, Jake?" She asked and he winced, hiding behind the door. _Jake. _Was this Anna's boyfriend?

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it'd be you." He said quietly and Brittany snorted.

"If you want me to like you," she started and he bit his lip nervously, "I won't." She said with finality. Jake sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Where's Anna?" She asked then but before Jake could answer Anna appeared beside him. She looked at Jake wearing almost nothing and then at Brittany's irritated face. She rolled her eyes.

"Go get dressed." She told him quietly and he nodded before leaving. "Hi." She smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Will my daughter be scarred for life if I leave her here?" Brittany asked and Anna rolled her eyes again.

"We didn't have sex- " Anna started to say but Brittany put her hand in front of her sister's mouth.

"Do not say that word again." She said and scrunched her face in disgust. "Just no." She shook her head and Anna snorted. "The last thing I need is hearing my baby sister talking about that." She mumbled.

"I'm not a baby." Anna protested pulling her head back from Brittany's hand and Brittany huffed.

"You are to me." She said back. "I'm putting her on the couch. I hope your boyfriend doesn't go near her or I'll cut him and feed him to the tigers at the zoo." She mumbled and Anna frowned.

"Britt, you promised you'll try to like him." She whined and Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Not when he greets me like that." She said and passed by her sister, leaving Anna and me alone. She sighed and turned to me.

"How are you?" She asked me.

"I'm good." I shrugged. "You?" I asked her back and she shrugged too. She looked behind her shoulder biting her bottom lip and then back at me.

"Are you two together now?" She asked me, catching me off guard. My eyes widened and I started rubbing my arm up and down nervously.

"I don't know." I told her and she nodded in understanding, smiling weakly at me.

"Did she tell you about our parents?" She asked me and I frowned.

"She told me that your mom is German." I shrugged and it was her turn to frown.

"I'm sure she'll tell you soon. She definitely trusts you." She said and I nodded at her. I knew this, and Brittany promised she would tell me after everything with my father will be over. "It's just great seeing her going on and on about you, you know? I don't really remember her being so happy before." She said, almost sadly. But then her eyes widened. "And you didn't hear that from me!" She exclaimed and I chuckled at her, ignoring my fast heartbeats at what Anna just told me about Brittany.

"Don't worry, it'll be between us." I told her and she smiled at me just in time for Brittany to come back. She looked between us for a few seconds but she finally settled her gaze on her sister.

"Call me if she wakes up crying." She said.

"Yeah, I know." She said and Brittany nodded. "So, are you two going on a date and you're leaving me with the kid?" She asked smirking. She probably found it very amusing watching her sister blushing.

"No, we're not." Brittany said frowning, but her blush was obvious. "We're going at Matt's." She said pointedly and Anna arched her eyebrows.

"Oh you're getting another tattoo?" She asked and Brittany shook her head. I frowned, Matt was a tattooist? "Are you?" Anna asked me then and I shook my head too. Anna arched an eyebrow at Brittany.

"We'll tell you another time." Brittany shrugged and turned to me. "Ready?" She asked me and I nodded. I figured once I met this Matt guy my mind would be put in rest about my parents being safe and I could focus on getting my father help. Although he wasn't my favorite person at that moment, he was still my father and I still loved him.

…

We were walking through the dark streets of New York side by side. Brittany was being weird. She was fidgety and she was looking uncomfortable. After a few minutes of silence she took a deep breath and turned to me.

"What did my sister tell you?" She asked me and I frowned.

"Nothing." I shrugged.

"Santana." She sighed and rubbed her hands on her face. I grabbed her arm to stop her and she turned to face me.

"She didn't tell me anything." I said and she bit her lip looking away from me. "Britt." I sighed. "She just said that you'd tell me about your parents soon. But I already knew that so…" I shrugged and trailed off. She swallowed thickly and nodded at me.

"I just wanted to tell you on my own cause you've learnt everything else because of the trial. It's nothing bad." She said but then she winced. "I mean it is but yeah, anyway." She shrugged. I was confused but I nodded anyway. I understood what she wanted to say. I did learn a lot of things about her because of the trial and it only made sense that she wanted to keep something to herself. She was a closed person and the fact that she wanted to and was going to tell me about her parents made me smile softly at her.

"You can tell me whatever and whenever you want, Britt. You know I'll be here anyway." I said softly and she nodded at me, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah, I know." She whispered and then she cleared her throat. "Let's go." She said and turned to continue towards where we were going. After walking for a few more minutes I started recognizing those streets. We were really close to Brittany's apartment. Then she turned to a dark alley.

"So are you and Matt like friends?" I asked her and she turned to look at me.

"Uh, it's complicated." She said and I frowned at her. She sighed and stopped outside a tattoo parlor. I couldn't really see her in this dark alley. "He always cared about me being physically ok." She shrugged but I was still frowning at her. "I'll explain later." She said and turned to open the door revealing a room full of drawings all over the walls. We got inside and I noticed a tattooed dark-skinned woman sitting at a desk and drawing. But when she heard us she looked up with a bored look. When she saw it was Brittany she smiled and stood up. But then she looked at me and narrowed her eyes. "Hi." Brittany said.

"Hello, gorgeous." She said and let a smirk to take over her face. Brittany rolled her eyes as I frowned.

"Jenna, Matt's sister." She said and pointed at her and then pointed at me. "Santana." Jenna nodded at me and I nodded back, still not sure if she hated me or not.

"You're her girlfriend?" She asked me and I frowned, wondering why everyone kept asking if Brittany and I were together. "Cause let me tell you, I had my hands all over that fucking hot chick's body." She said and gestured towards Brittany. I internally groaned. How did I manage to keep meeting Brittany's exes?

"Did you two…" I asked trailing off and Brittany's eyes widened.

"No!" She exclaimed and Jenna chuckled.

"No." Jenna shook her head. "She wanted me cause you know, I had to touch her somewhere to create those tattoos. I was between those gloriously long legs, and my hands were on her thighs and on her back and her chest." She shook her head chuckling and I did my best to ignore those imaginary images of _me _being at those positions. "But I said no, I'm straight." She shrugged. I was staring at her, not sure if she was serious and what she wanted to achieve with putting those images inside my head.

"Jenna, I never wanted you." Brittany said, sounding bored. "And what exactly are you doing?" She asked and Jenna frowned.

"I'm testing her." She whispered referring to me but I heard her.

"What kind of test is that?" Brittany asked and frowned back at her.

"About your old job." Jenna said still whispering and Brittany rolled her eyes. So Jenna and Matt knew about Brittany being a prostitute. I started to slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together. Brittany put her arm around my waist and tugged me closer to her. The warmth radiating from her body caused me to relax and lean against her.

"She passed that test. And you did a shitty job at testing her anyway." She said and I let a small smile take over my face because she finally accepted that I didn't have a problem with her old job and that I wasn't even ashamed. Brittany looked around before turning back to Jenna. "Where's your brother?" She asked and Jenna huffed.

"Well, you're welcome." She mumbled and turned to leave, probably to go find Matt. When she was out the room Brittany turned to me, her hand falling from around my waist.

"I'm sorry. Please, don't take her seriously, she was bullshitting you." She said and bit her lip.

"It's ok." I shrugged. It really was ok. I got to kiss that face now so I wouldn't really mind it if they were ex-girlfriends. It still didn't mean that I liked meeting them.

Just then the back door opened and a bald, dark-skinned guy that was probably six and a half feet tall stepped in. He wasn't wearing a shirt so I could see his eight pack abs and the tattoos that covered his entire torso and ending up his neck. He was heavily built and I understood what Brittany meant. He _was _four times my size. He wasn't fat, he was just _that _muscular.

"Britt." He called in a rough and hoarse voice. He looked so serious and kind of scary. Brittany nodded at him and then he turned to look at me. "Santana, right?" He asked me and I nodded. I figured Brittany called him too before and told him what happened. "Don't worry, nobody will come near them any time soon." He told me and I swallowed thickly at his seriousness.

"How do you know that?" I asked him. I didn't want to be rude, I was just genuinely scared. But he didn't seem to mind my question.

"Those who hurt people who are incapable of defending themselves are cowards. And now that I'm gonna be there they're gonna be afraid to come near them." He said. His attitude wasn't cocky which made me to actually believe him. "And you won't have to pay them. And they're not gonna follow them to New York. And even if they do, I'm still gonna be here." He said looking at Brittany. I frowned as Brittany slid her hand on my lower back. Matt turned towards the desk and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "The address." He told me and handed me the pen and paper. "I'm leaving in half an hour." He added glancing at the clock on the wall. I turned to Brittany and bit my bottom lip but she just nodded at me reassuringly. _I guess this is it, _I thought and wrote the address of the house in Lima on the paper.

…

"So…" Brittany trailed off after we left the tattoo parlor. I turned my head and arched an eyebrow at her while we were walking down the street.

"So what?" I asked her and she groaned. She took a big step and stopped in front of me, causing us to collide. I momentarily lost my balance but she grabbed my waist and helped me straighten up again. "Britt, what are you doing?" I asked her frowning, straightening my tank top as well.

"I want you to sleep with me tonight." She said and gestured towards the street that her apartment building was on. My heart jumped at her words but I knew she didn't mean it like that.

"Why? I'm not gonna run off to Lima." I said still frowning and she shrugged.

"I know, it's still difficult for you though and I don't want you to be alone." She said and bit her pierced bottom lip, looking at me through her eyelashes. I sighed and my heart fluttered at her caring so much about me. So I nodded at her and figured that spending the night with Brittany would definitely take my mind off of Lima and my father's addiction.

We walked the few minutes until we reached Brittany's apartment in silence. She immediately guided me to her bedroom and gave me pajama shorts and a t-shirt, saying she would be right back before leaving. I shrugged and changed before sitting on her bed and leaning against the headboard. I crossed my legs at my ankles and looked around at Brittany's bedroom. The walls were a dark blue and the dresser and bedside tables were black. There was also a desk which was full of papers and books, like the coffee table in the living room.

"How are you feeling?" Brittany asked me. I turned to find her walking towards the bed in boxers and a tank top, causing me to lick my lips seeing all this creamy soft skin that was on display. _I'm feeling turned on, _I thought but I shook my head to clear it.

"I'm ok." I shrugged while she sat on the bed on her knees and shuffled closer to me, sitting on her haunches opposite me, beside my legs.

"Matt's plane took off ten minutes ago." She told me and I nodded. She sighed and put her hand on my leg, causing me to tense but when she started rubbing my calf up and down comfortingly I relaxed again. "I know you want to be there, I would want to too. Actually I would say 'fuck it' and go find them. But that would be stupid and you're smart." She said and I smiled softly at her. She uncrossed my legs and started massaging my calf with both of her hands, making my mouth to go dry because of her touch. "Besides, it's not your fault you're so tiny." She said teasingly and I rolled my eyes at her.

"I could take you, you know." I defended myself and she arched an eyebrow at me. She grabbed the back of my knees with both her hands and tugged me down the bed so I was lying on the mattress and she settled between my bent legs, causing my arousal to multiply tenfold.

"You think you can take me?" She husked against my lips and I shivered from the feeling of her breath hitting my face and her chest against mine. Only then I realized what I said and my mouth went dry.

"I meant down." I said shakily and watched as her gaze drifted towards my lips and stayed there.

"So you can't take me?" She asked me whispering. A whimper tried to get out from deep within my throat when I imagined 'taking' Brittany. I was sure watching Brittany having an orgasm would be the sexiest thing in the world. And just by thinking that it would be me causing her such pleasure, caused me to give up on trying keeping in that whimper and I let it out. I leaned forward and kissed her hard on the lips.

She let out a low moan and I immediately sucked her pierced bottom lip, enjoying the noises she was making. Maybe enjoying them a little too much. I slid my hands through her blonde hair and darted my tongue across her bottom lip, asking for entrance which she gave me without a second thought. When our tongues made contact I moaned too at the sensation of my tongue inside her warm and wet mouth. Her hands started going up and down my sides while my hands settled on her shoulder blades. Whenever she touched my sideboobs, my bent knees would tremble and squeeze her hips, as if I was trying to keep her where she was. I could say with certainty that I had never felt so aroused just by kissing someone. But Brittany wasn't just 'someone'. She was Brittany.

After a minute or two of kissing hotly, Brittany pulled back and started kissing my neck and and collarbone. I was breathing heavily and I wondered how we managed to go from talking about Lima to making out.

"I can't control myself around you." She voiced my thoughts against my neck and I hummed my agreement, not able to really form any words when Brittany's tongue was on my body. My hands were going up and down her back while she was kissing and sucking my neck and licking and nibbling on my pulse point. I could feel the start of several bruises but I didn't have the power to stop her. But thankfully she stopped by herself after a few minutes and pulled back to look down at me, with hooded blue eyes full of arousal and pink swollen lips. "Your skin tastes so good, I wonder what you really taste like." She whispered and I thought I would pass out. The image of Brittany tasting me sent a new wave of arousal through me.

"Fuck, Britt." I whimpered and she gave me one last peck on the lips before pulling away from me and lying on the bed beside me, turning on her side. I turned on my side too to face her. After a few seconds of silence our breathing went back to normal and I remembered what I wanted to ask Brittany. "Why do you trust Matt so much?" I asked her and she took a deep breath, staring intently in my eyes.

"I was working on the streets, San." She said quietly like that should explain everything. I looked at her expectantly and she sighed. "Matt and I were in the same class since the first grade. We weren't best friends but back then I really liked having friends so I was always talking to him. Then when I was fourteen I had to…uh, you know, become a prostitute. And he found me one day on the street. He didn't ask how or why, he just asked if it was really necessary to do that job. When I said yes he promised to protect me. We even moved to New York together." She said and swallowed thickly. "He has been protecting me since then." She finished. I took a few seconds to process what she told me. If Matt knew about Brittany being a prostitute then his sister knew it from him too.

"Did you ever need his protection while doing that job?" I asked her and her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes." She whispered effectively causing my face to fall as well. "I would most probably be dead if it wasn't for Matt."

"No." I whispered back. I didn't want to imagine anyone hurting her. But she just smiled sadly at me.

"I'm fine now." She said shuffling closer and resting her head on the same pillow as me. I frowned at her.

"Are you though?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"I actually thought that I was depressed at some point." She started looking away from me. "Like I thought I lost myself." She said and looked at me again. "But I said I'm fine _now_." She whispered while putting her arm around my waist and kissing me softly. Her touch caused me to forget the images of those people who wanted to hurt this angel in front of me. My heartbeats increased at her admission and I felt happiness settle into me for causing her feeling happy and like herself again. After a few seconds she pulled back. "Turn around." She told me while tugging on my side. I turned on my other side and she shuffled closer behind me, her hand going on my stomach while our legs tangled together. The heat radiating from her body caused me to relax in her embrace and sigh. Brittany kissed the back of my neck, mumbling 'goodnight'. I said it back, shuffling back closer to her body and she tightened her arm around me. It wasn't long until I heard Brittany's steady breathing, which caused me to close my eyes and enjoy feeling the safest I had ever felt. With the thought that if Matt could protect Brittany then he could protect my parents as well, I let sleep take over me.

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A.N.: Tell me your thoughts.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

A.N.: I'm sorry for not updating sooner but I got sick last week and I couldn't write. Thank you for your reviews, follows and favorites. Enjoy!

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I was startled from my sleep when my phone started to ring. I groaned and sat up to grab it, only to realize that I wasn't in my bed. I looked around and noticed that I was in Brittany's bedroom, effectively causing me to remember the last night. I couldn't remember the last time that I slept through the whole night. I would always wake up at some point, no matter how tired I was, and I would always feel restless. I didn't know why but with Brittany I woke up the way I fell asleep and felt more rested and refreshed than I had ever felt. But Brittany wasn't in bed with me.

I was about to get up and go find Brittany when I realized that my phone was still ringing, so I grabbed it to see that it was only six in the morning. I was about to end the call but then I saw that Maribel was calling me and I immediately answered the phone. I was afraid that something happened to my parents, considering she was calling me this early in the morning.

"Yes." I said, my voice raspy and laced with sleep. I cleared my throat and rubbed my eyes to wake up.

"_Santanita!_" My mother exclaimed and chuckled, effectively causing me to arch an eyebrow at her overly cheerful mood.

"Mami, what's going on?" I asked her but she didn't answer back. I could hear her talking with someone but I couldn't understand what they were saying. "Mami?" I called again.

"_Si, mi amor._" She replied as I leaned against the headboard.

"What's going on?" I asked her again.

"_Why didn't you tell me that a tall, handsome guy would be coming at my house? He found me in my pajamas, Santanita. That's unacceptable._" She said, trying to sound stern but her words weren't really helping her. She was a grown married woman and had eyes for a man that was the same age as her daughter? I ignored it though, I knew she wasn't serious. But I winced anyway because I totally forgot to tell them that Matt was going instead of me. I blamed Brittany and her ability to have my attention constantly. "_Your papi hit him, you know._" She chuckled then and I gasped, widening my eyes.

"He hit him?" I asked in disbelief. Although it wouldn't be such a surprise that a heavy-built, tall guy came to their house uninvited and they got scared. The last time someone went to their house my mother got shot.

"_Yeah, with the baseball bat on the head._" She said and my eyes widen. _Oh no! _That was bad. I bit my bottom lip, afraid that Brittany might get angry that I forgot to tell my parents. But she forgot too. "_But don't worry, he just flinched a bit. He's so strong_ _and did I mention handsome?_" She ranted and I rolled my eyes, relieved that Matt was fine. Obviously Brittany was right, Matt would do a good job at protecting them.

"Will you stop embarrassing yourself?" I wondered and huffed. Maribel cleared her throat.

"_Well, it was a nice change. There's just too much tension in this house, Santanita. I hope that Mario and Antonio don't create another tension in New York._" She said and I sighed. They probably would but I didn't say anything.

"When are you coming?" I asked her.

"_Probably tomorrow. The realtor will take care of the house and Matt's going to give the money and we'll be over all of this, Santanita._" She told me and I nodded, although she couldn't see me. I could practically hear the tiredness in her voice. "_So, tell me about Matt._" She whispered then, causing me to roll my eyes again. She was probably whispering because Matt was there. If that was how she wanted to get her mind off of what was happening then I would help her.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"_How do you know him?_" She asked me and I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"He's a friend of a friend." I mumbled. It really sounded weird calling Brittany a friend, but I didn't know what to say to Maribel. I briefly wondered where the blonde was but my mother talking caused me to focus on the phone again.

"_Quinn?_" My mother asked me and I shut my eyes tightly.

"No, Brittany." I mumbled but before she could ask me who Brittany was I spoke up again. "Look, I'm in a hurry. I still have to go home and get ready for work." I said quickly.

"_Where are you now?_" She asked me and I realized that I practically dug my own grave.

"Nowhere." I said lamely and then I groaned at my reply. What was wrong with me? I really needed some caffeine inside my system.

"_Santanita._" Maribel said slowly and I rolled my eyes. "_Are you with _Brittany_?_" She asked me, teasingly emphasizing the name and I groaned.

"I'm hanging up now, I'll see you tomorrow." I said quickly but before I could end the call she spoke up.

"_Wait, your papi wants to talk to you._" She told me and I flared my nostrils.

"I don't want to talk to him." I said stubbornly and I heard my mother sighing.

"_Santanita, please._" She said but I wasn't going to change my mind.

"I'll talk to him when you'll come in New York." I said with finality and my mother sighed again.

"_Alright. Will you introduce me to Brittany?_" She asked me then and I huffed.

"Yeah, ok. I'll see you tomorrow." I said and ended the call before she could say anything else. I was sure my mother knew that I was falling for Brittany just by this conversation and I hoped she wouldn't embarrass me when she would meet her. Because that would definitely happen at some point. I threw the phone on the bed and took a deep breath before running a hand through my hair. I couldn't get back to sleep without Brittany so I decided to get up and go find her.

I found her in the living room, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling. Her hands were playing with an empty mug on her stomach, letting me know that she was awake for some time, and her tongue was playing with her piercing. It was peacefully quiet in the room and Brittany looked like she was thinking really hard about something. I frowned before leaning against the wall opposite the couch.

"Morning." I said quietly. I didn't want to ruin this serene atmosphere. Brittany turned her head to the side and when she saw me she sat up and put the mug on the coffee table. She sat cross legged on the couch and smiled softly at me.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early?" She asked me, her voice was quiet too.

"My mom called and woke me up." I shrugged.

"Is everything ok?" She asked me.

"My dad hit Matt with a baseball bat." I told her and bit my bottom lip but she just got up and went to the kitchen. I frowned at her. "You don't care?" I asked her and she sighed.

"Worse things happened to him." She said and shrugged while she was pouring coffee into another mug. I nodded in understanding, Matt did look like he could take a lot of hits.

"Also, my mom's flirting with him." I added rolling my eyes while she was walking towards me and sucked her lips, trying not to laugh.

"That's interesting." She said teasingly and I snorted. She gave me the mug and I smiled gratefully at her. She smiled weakly back and went to sit on the couch again, gesturing for me to sit too.

"So, why are you up so early?" I asked her while sitting beside her and she shrugged, looking away from me. She shifted and brought her feet on the couch, sitting cross legged again. I bit my lip and took a deep breath. "Was I bothering you or something?" I asked quietly and took a sip from my coffee. I didn't want that to be the case because she definitely didn't bother me and it was the best sleep I had in ages, although it was just for a few hours. But her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly.

"No, it was the opposite actually. You're really comfy." She told me and I let out a shaky breath at her admission, relaxing back on the couch. "I was just thinking." She added quietly.

"About what?" I asked and took another sip. She sighed as she turned to face me and leaned her head on her hand that was on the back of the couch.

"Do you believe in life after death?" She asked me, causing me to tilt my head to the side and narrow my eyes in thought. At the moment it seemed such a random thing to be thinking so much about but I answered anyway.

"Yes, I do." I told her honestly and she nodded at me, looking almost relieved. "Why are you asking me though?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"I wanted to know what you think about it." She told me and I frowned.

"And if I said I didn't believe in life after death what would happen?" I asked her and she sighed.

"Nothing. You can't force your beliefs on others." She said and I nodded.

"Well, what do you believe?" I asked her and she looked away from me, taking a deep breath.

"I believe that after death starts the eternal life." She said and I arched my eyebrows at what she said.

"Like in a religious way?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"It's different being religious and having faith. I'm not religious." She shrugged. "I just think that it's a human need to believe that there exists an unknown entity that we can't explain, you know? Like a God or something that causes situations we can't understand." She said. I was staring at her, trying to process what she told me. "Am I talking too much?" She asked me then and bit her bottom lip.

"No." I quickly shook my head. "I'm just thinking about what you said. I guess I've never really thought about it." I shrugged and she nodded slowly at me.

"Well, I was forced to think about it." She said and shrugged and I frowned at her.

"What do you mean?" I asked her but she shook her head.

"Nothing." She said, brushing the subject away. "Did you always want to be a lawyer?" She asked me then and I arched an eyebrow at her, still sipping my coffee. "What? I'm not allowed to learn anything about you?" She asked me and I rolled my eyes.

"You can ask me anything you want." I told her and she arched her eyebrows, leaning closer to me.

"Anything?" She asked me teasingly and I frowned.

"Yes." I said slowly.

"_Anything _that I want?" She asked me again and I narrowed my eyes.

"Yes." I answered again. I thought she was going to try and find the hardest question to ask me, or something that I wouldn't want to answer.

"Did you always want to be a lawyer?" She asked me instead and I rolled my eyes again. She chuckled and I shook my head at her.

"Yes, although I wasn't so focused on it in high school." I mumbled and put my empty mug on the coffee table and relaxed on the couch again.

"Why?" She asked me and I sighed.

"Because I was trying to find out why I was a lesbian." I told her and she chuckled.

"Did you need a reason?" She asked me and I shrugged.

"Yeah, I thought something was wrong with me and I was trying to figure out what it was. I was sleeping around a lot, trying to find out what I was doing wrong with all those guys. Why I didn't like having sex with them." I admitted. I looked away from her embarrassed of myself.

"Hey, I was sleeping around too." She told me, probably trying to make me not feel so embarrassed. But it definitely didn't work.

"You had a legit reason though." I said pointedly, turning to look at her again. She shrugged at me and I frowned, although I didn't know her reason yet. "I was having sex for nothing, Britt."

"I was having sex for money, San." She said with the same tone and I rolled my eyes.

"What are we trying to achieve now?" I wondered. This conversation seemed pointless to me and I felt uncomfortable even remembering all those guys that I slept with and meant nothing to me.

"I just think that sex should mean something. And if that something is understanding your sexuality then I can understand that. I mean, everybody deals with it differently." Brittany shrugged, effectively causing me to feel better about it. After all those years, I still hadn't got over how I dealt with my sexuality and Brittany with just a few words made me accept the way I chose to deal with it. But I didn't dwell too much on it, I wanted to know more about her.

"How did you deal with it?" I asked her.

"Well, it was tricky. I knew something was different but I couldn't really tell, I'd be too disgusted by both men and women because of my job to feel any kind of attraction. But I figured it out eventually when I came to New York." She answered, giving me confidence to ask her more things.

"Do you regret doing that job?" I asked her then and she stared at me, seeming like she was thinking about it.

"People might think that I found the easy way to earn money." She started and I shook my head. I definitely didn't believe that. "But there was nothing easy about doing that job. But no, I don't regret it. I can't regret it." She said and I frowned at her. "I had to take care of my sister." She added and I arched my eyebrows. But before I could ask anything she continued. "And then we moved here, with my sister, Matt and his sister."

"But your sister's really young." I finally voiced my thoughts.

"Uh yeah, she's twenty." She said hesitantly.

"So, when you moved here she was eleven?" I asked and she nodded. I frowned. "Did you move here with your whole family too or just your sister and Matt?" I asked and she swallowed thickly.

"J-just her." She said nervously and I eyed her carefully.

"Did you like…run away?" I asked again and she shook her head.

"No, no." She said and sighed. It looked like she was starting to get irritated. I could remember when I first met her, she wouldn't let me ask her so many things and she definitely wouldn't answer them. So I decided to not ask anything else.

"Well, ok." I said and looked around. "I have to get to work." I told her then and she bit her lip, looking at me intently. After a few seconds of her staring at me and not saying anything, I felt uncomfortable. "Britt?" I called her name and watched as she was brought out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry." She told me. "I just thought that you'd figure it out by now. Like put the pieces of the puzzle together or something." She mumbled and shrugged, causing me to frown.

"No, Britt. I don't want to 'figure it out' by myself. I want you to tell me. That's what you want too, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, right." She whispered and I smiled softly at her.

"I really have to go." I said and stood up and Brittany stood too.

"Can I kiss you?" She asked me and I arched an eyebrow at her sudden shyness.

"You definitely didn't ask me last night." I told her and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm never asking again then." She shrugged and leaned down the few inches that separated us and brushed her lips softly against mine. I certainly didn't have a problem with Brittany kissing me whenever she wanted, and without asking. But as fast as she connected our lips, she disconnected them again, leaving me wanting more, like always.

I realized that it was starting to get more and more easy to have a conversation with Brittany when she didn't get angry every five minutes. I felt like I could talk to her for hours, but sometimes I was still afraid of what I might say and trigger a bomb.

…

_The next day;_

It was Wednesday morning and I was at my uncle's house. I took the day off because we were going to pick up my parents and Matt from the airport. I was sitting at the table in the kitchen when my uncle came in.

"So, who's Brittany?" He asked me and I choked on the coffee that I was sipping and spilled it all over me. My uncle chuckled and patted my back before sitting opposite me and I huffed. I grabbed a paper towel to clean my tank top that had now coffee stains on it but it was too late. I groaned at my ruined top and looked up to find Mario smirking at me. Why did my mother and my uncle have to have such a good relationship and share everything?

"Nobody." I said and he arched an eyebrow at me.

"What's wrong with you? You're a lawyer and your excuse is 'nobody'?" He chuckled at me and I rolled my eyes. "Who is this person who has you and words on bad terms?" He asked me and I sighed. I hadn't talk to Brittany after I left her house the day before. I only spoke with little Alice for a minute or two last night because apparently she wanted me to tell her goodnight. My heart melted when she told me that and I promised her that I would see her again soon. "Santanita?" My uncle called and brought me out of my thoughts.

"Ok, she's someone." I admitted and took another sip of my coffee to distract myself.

"Call and tell her to come with us." He said and glanced at the clock. "We still have time." He told me and I shook my head.

"No. Why would I do that?" I asked him and he frowned at me.

"Because we want to meet her. The last time we met a girlfriend of yours you were still a student." He told me and I rolled my eyes. That 'girlfriend' wasn't even my girlfriend, it was more like a friend with benefits. But they didn't need to know that.

"Well, she's not my girlfriend so…" I shrugged and bit my bottom lip. Mario arched an eyebrow at me.

"Call her." He said with finality, letting me know that he wouldn't take any of my bullshit. "And Matt's going to be there too, she'll be fine." He shrugged. "Smart move sending Matt by the way." He commented and patted my hand before grabbing my phone and giving it to me.

"I don't know." I mumbled, shuffling on my phone and heard my uncle huff.

"Do you want me to call her?" He asked me and I looked up arching an eyebrow.

"That would be the worst idea you've ever had." I told him and he snorted.

"Please, I have my way with the ladies." He told me, flashing me his charming smile.

"_I _have my way with the ladies." I said back and he chuckled. "But Brittany's different." I shrugged and he stared at me.

"Yeah, Maribel was right." He finally said and I frowned at him questioningly. "And she didn't even look at your face. She figured it out just by your voice." He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him.

"About you being in love with Brittany." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You two have no idea what you're talking about." I mumbled and he chuckled at me.

"Yeah yeah, alright." He said dismissively. "Call her." He told me again.

"I don't know, tío. She can't just leave the kid alone." I said and my uncle arched his eyebrows in surprise. Only then I realized what I said.

"She has a kid?" He asked me and I nodded hesitantly, not knowing his reaction at this information. "That's complicated." He mumbled, scratching his grey beard and I sighed.

"It's not the kid that makes it complicated." I said to myself and Mario eyed me for a few seconds.

"What about the father?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"He's not in the picture. He only has visitation rights but as far as I know he hasn't communicated with Brittany yet." I said and his eyes widened.

"Santanita." He said slowly and side-eyed me. "Is this your case about…?" He trailed off and my eyes widened too.

"H-how do you know about that?" I asked shakily and he huffed shaking his head.

"You know that I still watch trials." He said pointedly and I sighed. I knew that, I just didn't think he would know about Brittany. "This is wrong on so many levels." He said and I frowned. I was ready to defend both Brittany and myself but he started speaking again. "You can't have a relationship with a client. That's wrong." He told me.

"She's not my client anymore." I said pointedly and he sighed. "So, your problem is her being my client? Not about her old job?" I asked and he seemed to be thinking about it.

"I don't know, Santana. I don't know her. That's why you're gonna call her and ask her to come with us." He told me but I still wasn't sure.

"Look, I won't bring her just for you to decide you don't like her and judge her, ok?" I said defensively and he frowned at me.

"I wouldn't do that and you know it." He said and I sighed. "And I trust you, if you're ok with it then I don't really have any say. It's obvious you care about her and I want to meet her." He shrugged and I nodded.

"You can't tell about the case to my parents though." I said.

"They'll find out eventually." He said pointedly and I narrowed my eyes.

"Not from you." I said and he sighed while nodding his head. "And you're not gonna say anything to her either." I told him.

"I'm not a kid. Just call." He said and I nodded. I grabbed my phone to call Brittany and hoped that she would want to meet my family and not freak out about it.

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A.N.: I don't want to offend anyone about that religion vs faith thing. You really can't force your beliefs on others. And what Brittany believes doesn't mean it's the right or wrong thing, it's just what she believes. Let me know what you think about this chapter.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Since I met Brittany I had learnt a lot of things. One of them was that just because you had a kid and you were the parent, didn't mean you always did what you wanted. And in this case Brittany didn't do what she wanted. To _not _come to the airport with me. But little Alice who had heard my voice over the phone wanted to. And so I found myself in my uncle's car, going to pick up my two favorite blondes.

If I said I was nervous, it would be an understatement. Just the fact that Brittany didn't want to go, and told me so, had me bouncing my leg up and down nervously. My uncle, who was driving his car, put his hand on my leg to stop me.

"Relax, Santanita." He told me but it didn't help me at all.

"You have to like each other." I mumbled and started biting my short nails.

"It'll be alright." He reassured me and patted my leg before going back to driving. "At least for me, her old job won't be a reason to not like her. I guarantee you that. And the same goes for your mother. But your father…" He trailed off. I understood what he wanted to say though. My father had a problem with me being a lesbian in the first place. So he most probably would have a problem with Brittany, with her having a kid and with her being a prostitute even if it was so many years ago. But I didn't think he would say anything in front of the blonde or the kid. I wouldn't let him, he had caused enough problems already.

When we arrived at Brittany's apartment building I sent her a text that we were downstairs and then got out of the car and started pacing in front of it. My uncle got out as well and came on the other side of the car to lean against it and watch me with his, at the moment, annoying smirk.

"But no, you're definitely _not _in love with her." He told me teasingly and I immediately glared at him. "You're just freaking out because she's meeting your family as Brittany, not as your girlfriend." He said sarcastically and chuckled. But I just clicked my tongue, continuing my pacing and not bothering to answer him.

After a few seconds of me debating what would be a better idea, just leave or call Brittany and cancel, although I was just outside her apartment, the front door of the building opened and little Alice came out running towards me. I crouched down just in time to catch her and pick her up.

"Hi Tana!" She squealed, making me smile and calm down a bit. She poked my dimples that were now showing and giggled.

"Hi Ali girl." I told her while straightening her top that had bunched up and she giggled again. I looked up to see Brittany having an eyebrow arched at me. She didn't seem to be amused at all. I left my uncle behind and went towards her. "Hi." I told her hesitantly.

"Hi!" Alice squealed again causing me to chuckle. I bit my lip and arched my eyebrows at the tall blonde.

"Hi." She told me, letting me know that she wasn't mad. Or at least she wasn't as mad as I thought she would be.

"Are you mad?" I asked her for confirmation and she shook her head.

"No." She simply said and I nodded. I looked back at my uncle and then at Brittany again.

"My uncle knows about the trial." I whispered and looked over my shoulder again to find him waving us over. I turned back to see Brittany's expressionless face staring at my uncle.

"That's why he wants to meet me?" She asked and I gulped. It made sense that she would think that but that wasn't the case.

"Actually no." I said shakily and looked away from her and at little Alice. She stuck her tongue out at me and I gasped in surprise before doing the same, causing her to giggle and Brittany to click her tongue at us. I turned back to her to see that she was looking at me expectantly. I sighed. "He wants to meet 'the person that has me and words in bad terms'." I quoted what my uncle had said earlier and rolled my eyes. I told her the truth, I didn't want her to think that's why they wanted to meet her. Brittany arched an amused eyebrow at me, causing me to blush slightly but thankfully it wasn't visible on my dark complexion. "Come on." I told her before she could say anything and turned to go back to my uncle.

"Ok." I breathed when I was in front of him. I was aware of Brittany's presence just behind me. "This is my uncle Mario." I told Alice that was in my arms and gestured towards him. "And this little monster is Alice." I said and poked the little blonde's tummy to make her giggle, effectively causing her to ruin the scary monster impression that she was trying to pull off.

"Give me five!" My uncle exclaimed and held up his hand. Little Alice immediately hi-fived him, making a loud slap noise. "Oh wow! You're the strongest little girl that I've ever met!" He gushed with wide eyes, causing Alice to giggle and me to smile. My uncle would be such a great father if he had his own kids. I knew this from the way he interacted with Alice but also from how he was with me when I was a kid too. Then Mario turned to look at me for just a second before stepping to the side and turning his attention to the blonde mother. "You must be Brittany." He told her and extended his hand. Brittany shook his hand and nodded her head but didn't say anything. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name. They say a picture is worth a thousand words but right now I can only think of one..." He trailed off and leaned closer to the blonde. "Beautiful." He breathed with his charming smile, still holding Brittany's hand. I rolled my eyes at his cheesy flirting and Brittany surprised me once more by smiling her perfect smile at my uncle.

"Well, they also say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. But thank you, that was sweet." She answered back with the same charm. She genuinely accepted the compliment, effectively making me jealous of my own uncle and maybe fall for the blonde just a little bit more. But I groaned to hide it.

"Alright. That's enough." I interrupted their flirting and broke their hands apart. My uncle smirked at me and I glared at him before looking back at Brittany. I narrowed my eyes at her but she just kept smiling at me.

"Ok, we should get going." My uncle said and clapped his hands while going to get back in the car. Brittany went to take Alice from me but the little blonde whined and tightened her arms around my neck. Brittany frowned and I arched my eyebrows at her.

"We can't put the kid in the front seat so I guess you'll have to keep flirting with my uncle." I said quietly and forced a smile. She sighed and clicked her tongue before opening the back door of the car for me and little Alice. She waited for us to get in before closing the door and going to sit in the front.

…

We spent the first ten minutes of the ride in silence. I was sitting in the middle seat with Alice straddling my legs and facing the front of the car, playing with my fingers and humming a song that I didn't know. Or maybe she was making it up. We had put the seatbelt over both of us, just like little Alice had requested, 'to be safe or mommy gets mad'. I wondered how long it would take for my uncle to start a conversation with Brittany. I was sure that he would at some point and I also was sure that Brittany wouldn't start first.

"So did you study, Brittany?" Mario asked then, as if he could read my thoughts. I decided to not be jumpy with every question he would ask. Asking someone if they had studied was pretty common.

"Yes, I did." Brittany answered. I noticed that she was calm and wasn't defensive yet. I wondered if she would get at some point, but I doubted it. She would do it from the start if she had that intention. But I frowned anyway. What was different with my uncle making her feel so comfortable? Not that I wasn't happy that she was getting along with him. "Mathematics." She added then and my uncle shook his head.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" He wondered teasingly and Brittany chuckled.

"I always liked maths. It may not seem like it but maths make you think outside the box." She said and my uncle nodded his head in understanding.

"Yeah, you're right. It doesn't seem like it." He answered and Brittany chuckled again.

"I wasn't expecting you to understand. Nobody really does." She shrugged.

"It doesn't matter what others think. The only thing that should matter is what you think." He said in a more serious tone, the double meaning was not lost on me. My uncle wasn't talking just about mathematics.

"Yeah." Brittany breathed and nodded her head, letting me know that she caught the double meaning too. I also understood that my uncle liked Brittany, otherwise he wouldn't give her any advice and he wouldn't tease her or make jokes.

"Mommy! Juice!" Alice exclaimed then. Brittany turned in her seat to face us and stared at the both of us for a few seconds, making me frown. She was doing that a lot lately. But little Alice trying to reach her brought her out of whatever she was thinking.

"What's the magic word?" Brittany asked.

"Please." Little Alice immediately said and clasped her hands under her chin, looking at her mother pleadingly. Brittany nodded and turned around to shuffle in the bag that she had down by her feet. She turned to us again and went to help her daughter drink from the plastic bottle that had juice in it but I covered her hand with my own.

"I got it." I told her quietly.

"Are you sure?" She asked me hesitantly and I smiled softly at her while nodding. "You don't have to." She told me.

"I want to." I shrugged. She swallowed thickly and nodded back at me, letting me get the bottle and help little Alice. It made me happy that she let me help her with her daughter, to me it meant more than giving juice to the kid and I was sure Brittany knew that I would help her about everything. That's why she was serious at that moment. But my uncle decided to lighten the mood again.

"You know, Santanita." He started and I groaned at the nickname. Brittany, who was still facing us, chuckled. "Alma and I would argue about things that had to do with you too, like you were our child. But we would really argue. What are you two doing?" He wondered teasingly and I huffed. Brittany looked at me questioningly and I realized that she didn't know who Alma was. "Alma is my wife." My uncle answered the silent question instead of me. He still referred to her in the present tense. "She passed away twenty-five years ago." He said and Brittany's face fell and turned to him.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said quietly but my uncle just shrugged.

"I was too for a while but then I realized that she is looking at me from above. She's still with me, you know?" He said and Brittany nodded.

"Yeah, I know." She whispered and I frowned at her but she wasn't looking at me.

"Like right now I'm sure she's jealous because a beautiful lady is sitting right next to me. I'm sure she's writing all these things down and I'm gonna hear it soon when I'll go up there too." He said jokingly and Brittany chuckled.

"Tio!" I whined. I didn't want to think about him dying.

"Everybody dies, Santanita. That's life." He said but I didn't want to have that conversation.

"Tio?" Alice asked then, pushing the bottle away from her mouth.

"Hola niña bonita!" My uncle immediately answered and I shook my head at him. But he couldn't see me so I turned the conversation to Spanish.

"_Don't talk to her in Spanish._" I told him.

"Hey, it's ok." Brittany said as if she understood what I told my uncle. I looked at her frowning but she just shook her head at me, letting me know that it was really ok.

And so we spent the rest of the ride with my uncle teaching Alice to speak Spanish. She just learnt a few basic words, but it was really impressive if you consider that she was only three years old. That kid was as smart as her mother.

I was sure that my uncle liked Brittany, if you consider that he even told her about his wife. And I was sure that Brittany liked my uncle too, if you go by the fact that she laughed at his jokes and let him teach her daughter Spanish. Actually she liked him enough to make me frown because she definitely wasn't so open and comfortable with me the first time that we had met. And for a long time after that.

When we arrived little Alice decided that she wanted my uncle to hold her, so they could continue to speak Spanish together. We were walking to the arrivals and Brittany was by my side while Mario and Alice were right in front of us.

"Are you mad?" Brittany asked me and I shook my head but didn't turn to look at her. I wasn't _mad_,I just couldn't understand. "Are you sure?" She asked me and bumped her shoulder with mine. I rolled my eyes and turned to her.

"What's so special about him that has you being all giggly?" I wondered and gestured in front of me where my uncle was.

"Hey, first of all, I'm not giggly. I have an image to uphold." She told me seriously and I huffed at her while crossing my arms in front of my chest. "And second of all, he's your uncle." She said pointedly.

"So what?" I asked frowning and she shrugged while putting her hands in her back pockets.

"He's easy to talk to and look at him with Ali. She likes him too. You two are so alike, San. He's like you but the male version. How can I not like him?" She wondered, making a sense of relief and calmness to settle into me. "I thought you wanted us to get along?" She asked then and I immediately nodded my head.

"Yeah, I do. I just didn't expect so much liking." I shrugged and she grabbed my arms to uncross them from in front of my chest and tugged my arm towards her so she could whisper in my ear.

"I like you the most though." She whispered, her breath hitting my skin and sending shivers down my spine. I bit my bottom lip to prevent myself from smiling too big and I nodded at her. "Although being jealous really suits you, you really don't have a reason to be." She shrugged and let my arm free.

"I am not jealous." I said defensively and rolled my eyes. _Yes, I am, _I thought but I wouldn't tell her that. I would never admit that I was jealous of my own uncle. But she obviously knew it.

"Ok." She smiled like she didn't believe me and kissed my cheek, her touch causing my heart to skip a beat.

We reached the arrivals and waited for my parents and Matt to come out. Little Alice went to Brittany's arms when we got there. I figured Brittany wanted her there because little Alice would help her keep her composure. Not get angry and not be nervous. Brittany didn't say anything but I could understand that she started feeling uncomfortable. So I went by her side with the excuse that I wanted to tickle little Alice but the real reason was to make her feel better and let her know that I would be there no matter what. And she understood that because she smiled gratefully at me when I slid my hand on her lower back and kept it there. Just then I heard my uncle telling us that he can see them.

Both Brittany and I turned towards to where he was pointing to find Maribel leaning almost all her weight on Matt. She couldn't really use her left leg and my face fell seeing my mother limp heavily as she walked towards us. Then I saw my father looking directly at me. His face was expressionless but I could see the nervousness in his eyes. But I didn't give him any more attention, I immediately took my mother in my arms and relaxed in her motherly embrace when she hugged me back.

"You're fine." I told her pulling back and she smiled at me.

"Of course I am, mija." She said and kissed my cheek before turning to hug her brother as well. I turned to find Matt having little Alice sitting on his shoulders, her tiny hands on top of his head. But Brittany wasn't paying any attention and I found that odd. I nodded at Matt as a greeting before turning to the blonde to see that she was staring at my father and Antonio was staring back, like they couldn't remember where they knew each other from. _Wait, what?_ But then my father narrowed his eyes at Brittany and the blonde arched her eyebrows at him challengingly. He flared his nostrils and turned to face me. I was completely confused by their interaction.

"Santana." He said, his face back to expressionless and I just nodded at him, still confused by what happened. I watched as Matt gave Alice back to her mother and turned to talk with my uncle and I turned to introduce Brittany and Alice to my parents. But I was once again beaten to it.

"You're Brittany!" My mother, who was now leaning on me, exclaimed and Brittany smiled weakly at her and nodded her head. "Come here, mija." She told her while opening her arms and I winced. Brittany swallowed thickly before allowing my mother to hug her as best as she could, considering the blonde had her daughter in her arms. Brittany closed her eyes and sucked her lips when my mother's arms went around her, her face holding a pained expression. After a few seconds they pulled back and I saw the unshed tears that Brittany had in her eyes. I frowned at her but she shook her head, still sucking her lips.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Lopez." Brittany said then with a shaky voice.

"Oh please." My mother said and shook her hand dismissively. "Call me Maribel. And this is Antonio." She said and gestured towards my father. They both nodded at each other stiffly, making me once again frown in confusion. They didn't even exchange any words.

"Hola!" Alice exclaimed then, causing me and my mother to chuckle. I could see the question in Maribel's eyes. She didn't know that Brittany had a kid but obviously she didn't have a problem with it. She just smiled sweetly at little Alice. Who could have a problem with such a sweet kid?

"Ali girl, this is my mom." I told her. The little blonde waved at Maribel and giggled when my mother waved back. "And that's my dad." I said and frowned when he didn't even bother to speak to the kid. "So, do you want to come here?" I asked to distract her and opened my arms. She immediately nodded her head and Brittany let me take her before going back to staring down my father.

"Are we ready to go?" My uncle asked looking around at us. My mother nodded and reached for his help and he immediately helped her. The rest of us followed them out.

…

We were sitting in my uncle's car. My father took the seat beside my uncle and I couldn't really tell what they were talking about but the conversation was definitely heated. My mother and Matt were sitting in the back seat with Alice between them. Matt wasn't really paying any attention to my mother and Alice that were continuing the Spanish lesson from earlier. Brittany and I were sitting at the very end of the eight-seated SUV that my uncle owned. We hadn't said anything and I really wanted to know what was going on between her and my father. So I finally found the courage to interrupt her staring out of the window. I grabbed her hand that was on her lap to get her attention and brought it on my lap. She turned to me and sighed.

"I'll tell you later. This isn't a good time." She said, understanding my silent question and I nodded at her skeptically. I really had no idea what she was going to tell me.

"You raised a really smart and polite girl, Brittany." My mother said then and Alice giggled as Brittany smiled gratefully at my mother, thankfully not taking her hand away from mine.

"Thank you." She said and leaned forward to kiss Alice's head that was poking from the back of the seat. "Sit properly, baby." She told her daughter and Alice pouted before sending a kiss with her hand to both Brittany and I and turning to sit properly again.

"So, how did you two meet?" Maribel asked and turned sideways so she could face us. I turned to Brittany and found her already looking back at me.

"At Sugar's." I shrugged and Brittany nodded before turning to look at my mother again.

"Randomly." She added and Maribel nodded looking between us.

"And how long are you together?" She asked causing me to wince. I hadn't told her if we were together or not so it made sense that she would assume that we were.

"I don't know. Are we together?" Brittany asked nervously, surprising me, and brought our hands from my lap to hers. I widened my eyes and swallowed thickly.

"I don't know." I mumbled. But I sure wanted us to be.

"Oh! I asked a tricky question?" My mother asked in amusement and I rolled my eyes. I could tell that she enjoyed very much watching us being nervous. But when she saw my expression she softened. "You'll figure it out." She said softly and smiled at us before turning to face forward again.

I sighed and turned to Brittany to see that she was playing with her piercing on her bottom lip and she was looking at our clasped hands on her lap. My dark and her pale skin were making a beautiful contrast that I could stare at for hours, just basking in the feeling of her soft skin against mine. But after a few seconds Brittany looked up at me and I could see the question in her beautiful blue eyes. She looked in front of us before turning back to me. She covered our clasped hands with her free hand and bit her pierced bottom lip. I thought she was going to ask me but it seemed like she changed her mind. Because she just brought my hand up to her lips and kissed each one of my knuckles, making me take a deep breath and close my eyes at the feeling, before placing it back in her lap.

"You should come over." She said and turned to look at my father who was still arguing with my uncle, silently telling me that she would tell me what was happening with the two of them. I didn't have the chance to talk to him yet but I knew if I started a conversation with him we would end up fighting. And I didn't want that to happen in front of Brittany. Something was going on between them though and I wanted to know what, so I nodded at Brittany, letting her know that I would go with her and Alice at her apartment. She nodded back and turned to stare out the window again. I sighed and turned to stare out my window too, hoping that they didn't really know each other, because it seemed like they did.

* * *

A.N.: Tell me what you think.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

A.N.: Wow you guys really didn't like the idea of Antonio and Brittany having sex. I'm not that mean, but I guess I deserved it since I left the last chapter like that. ;p So anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Brittany was sitting on the couch with little Alice trying to decide what movie the little blonde wanted to watch. I was leaning against the counter in the kitchen but I wasn't paying much attention to them. I was too busy being confused.

When we had arrived Maribel told me to get the kid and go away before my uncle pushed me towards Brittany's apartment building. Then he hugged Brittany and they exchanged a few words but I was too far away to hear what they were saying. Then my father went near her, and he probably asked to talk to her alone, because she nodded her head and followed him away from the others.

At first Antonio looked angry and pointed at my mother while saying something that I couldn't hear. But Brittany didn't seem to care about my father's distress. She pointed at herself and then at me and I frowned because I wanted to go there and find out what they were talking about. But then my father nodded at her and Brittany turned to leave. She went to my mother who said something smiling sadly, making the blonde to look down and nod her head. Then Maribel cupped Brittany's cheeks and the blonde leaned down so my mother could kiss her forehead and cheeks and then they hugged tightly. When Brittany came back, I had seen her red eyes for the second time that day.

"Ok." Brittany breathed, breaking me out of my confusing thoughts. I hadn't even realized that she came in the kitchen. I frowned at her and she sighed. "I really don't want to talk about this." She mumbled and I went to protest but she interrupted me. "And maybe you don't want to know. But you have the right to know, so…" She trailed off and shrugged. I tried my hardest to force away the thoughts that were trying to get in my mind. "I know your dad from Chicago." She started, practically confirming my suspicions. My father was an auditor before he retired and he travelled a lot, so it made sense that he would be in Chicago.

"No." I said and shook my head. "You don't know him." I said and pointed at her. Brittany frowned at me and opened her mouth to speak but I didn't let her. "My dad wouldn't do that. That's fucking disgusting." I whispered and cringed at the image of Brittany and my father together. This couldn't be happening, my father wouldn't cheat on my mother. I started pacing in front of her, shaking my head and mumbling 'no'. Brittany came to me and stopped me. She grabbed the back of my head with one hand and with her free hand she covered my mouth so I would stop saying 'no'.

"I did not have sex with your dad." Brittany said slowly and looked at me pointedly. I cringed again at the image before my brain actually processed what she said. I stared at her and she took her hands away from me and took a couple of steps back. "But it's fucking great that you finally voiced your thoughts about my job." She said and frowned at me and I frowned back. "It feels good, doesn't it? To finally let out what you really feel." She told me sarcastically.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Brittany arched her eyebrows at me and shrugged. "I didn't mean it like that." I said, relieved that they didn't have sex but still wondering how they knew each other, if that wasn't the case.

"Oh really? How did you mean it then?" She asked me challengingly but didn't let me speak. "'My dad wouldn't have sex with a prostitute. That's fucking disgusting.'" She tried to mimic what I had said earlier. "Like your dad is a fucking saint or something." She added and I huffed.

"What's your problem with my dad?" I asked but she didn't say anything and looked away from me. I sighed. "And you need to stop being so defensive about your job. I thought you didn't care what others think about it." I told her pointedly.

"I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks, Santana!" She snapped at me. Then she remembered her daughter and turned around to find her watching Lion King on the TV. Little Alice didn't hear her so she sighed before turning back to me. "But I guess I'm stupid enough to care about what _you_ think." She said more calmly and went to lean against the wall on my left. I sighed and turned to her.

"You're not stupid, Britt. I meant that my dad wouldn't cheat on my mom with _anyone._ And the image of the one person that I care for so much and my dad together is disturbing! Can't you see that?" I asked exasperated. Brittany sighed and ran both her hands through her blonde hair.

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that." She mumbled quietly and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I care about you too." She added then, effectively causing my heart to beat faster.

"And I told you a thousand times, I don't have a problem with your old job. Do we really have to have that conversation every time we have an argument?" I asked her and she looked away from me.

"I just don't want you to get disgusted by me." She whispered. I sighed and went to stand right in front of her.

"That won't happen, I promise." I said softly, trying to find her eyes again. "I'm not disgusted by you. I really _really _like you. I'm so attracted to you." I shrugged and Brittany swallowed thickly before turning to look at me and nodding. "So how do you know my dad then?" I asked her and she sighed.

"He sold me." She said vaguely and I stared at her.

"He sold you?" I asked and she nodded at me. "How? Where? I don't understand." I said and Brittany looked away from me again.

"It was maybe eleven years ago. He came out of one of those bars and we were there. Me and another woman. And he said that we had to have sex with some guys. We had an argument, then he apologized to us and then he left." She said and pushed herself off the wall and walked away from me and towards the table. She sat on the chair as I turned to her. "Then those guys came out of the bar. We didn't really have any choice." She said emotionless, not looking at me. I stared at her not really able to believe that my dad would do that. "How ironic, I paid for him then and I paid for him again now. But that time it wasn't with money." She said but I was still staring at her. I didn't know what to say. What were the chances of my father meeting Brittany like that eleven years ago?

"Britt." I started but she spoke up again.

"I understand desperation. I understand now that he lost money because he's a gambler. And he apologized to us. He apologized then and he apologized today. But that doesn't make it ok." She said and brought her feet up on the chair and hugged her knees.

"I need to understand." I mumbled and rubbed my temples. "He lost money so he paid with prostitutes? Like you were forced to have sex with the guys that won because my dad told you so?" I asked her and she frowned at me.

"Yes. Every time some random asshole told me to, I was spreading my legs just for the fun of it." She told me sarcastically and I cringed at her words. "Not because I had to feed my baby sister. No." She continued and I frowned but I decided to ignore her sarcastic attitude.

"What about Matt?" I wondered and she sighed.

"He wasn't there. But even if he was, what was he supposed to do? He would be one and they would be six? I don't really remember. We were still kids, only sixteen." She shrugged. "I thought I might as well agree and not get hurt again." She mumbled. My face fell and I went by her side and knelt down on the floor. My heart broke at what Brittany told me. Firstly, because I couldn't believe that someone would do that to her and secondly, because that someone was my own father. It made me realize how serious was his addiction problem, leading him to do such inhuman thing. I figured I would be fighting with him about this too.

"You got hurt a lot?" I asked whispering and she looked down at me and nodded her head. "I'm sorry." I told her but she shrugged at me like she didn't care about it. "Do you hate my dad?" I asked her then.

"Hate is a really powerful emotion, San." She told me quietly and I swallowed thickly. I didn't want Brittany to hate my father but what he did was really bad and it would make sense if he wasn't her favorite person. "I don't hate him. I told you he apologized." She mumbled and I frowned.

"You said you had an argument though?" I asked her remembering what she had said earlier and Brittany nodded.

"We said no at first, me and that other woman, but your dad kept pleading. It was obvious that he was desperate and didn't want to do what he was doing. But I didn't even know him, why should I feel bad for him? Who was gonna feel bad for _me_, San?" She asked me but I didn't know what to say so I just held her hand in mine. "He kept pleading and apologizing but we still said no. I wasn't having sex with strangers because I was enjoying it. So anyway, he said one last time that he was sorry and then he pointed to those guys and left." She said and I shook my head. I had a hard time believing that my dad would do that.

"And what did he tell you today?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"I told you, he apologized." She told me looking away from me and I frowned.

"Don't lie to me, Britt." I told her and tugged her hand so she would look at me. When she did I continued. "I saw him pointing at my mom." I said pointedly and Brittany sighed.

"He said that if I told you about it he would tell your mom about me being a prostitute." She said and I narrowed my eyes.

"He threatened you?" I asked slowly and she nodded. "I can't believe this." I huffed.

"It's fine. I'd tell you anyway. And your mom's great, San. She's great." She told me and I smiled softly. Maribel _was _great and I was glad that Brittany thought so too. Because my father was making me feel ashamed.

"My mom would be fine with it, Britt." I told her and brought her hand up to my lips and kissed it. She smiled at me, effectively causing my heart to flutter inside my chest. But then I remembered Brittany's interactions with my mother. "Do you know my mom too?" I asked her and she arched an eyebrow at me.

"I met her today." She told me pointedly and I frowned.

"Then what could she possibly say to make you cry? Twice?" I asked and she frowned at me.

"I wasn't crying." She said defensively. "She's just really great." She mumbled and I frowned questioningly at her. Brittany sighed and went to talk but a tiny voice interrupted her.

"Mommy?" Alice called quietly and we both turned around to see a pale Alice breathing heavily. I noticed that she could barely keep her eyes open. I immediately stood up and dropped Brittany's hand so she could stand too and go to her daughter. She crouched down in front of her just in time to catch little Alice who fell in her arms. "I want to sleep." She mumbled weakly against Brittany's neck. I pouted at the image of little Alice not being cheerful.

"Ok. Let's get you to bed." Brittany said and picked up her daughter.

"Tana." Little Alice said between her heavy breathing and Brittany turned around so they could both face me. Alice extended her hand, trying to reach me and I immediately went next to her and grabbed her tiny hand in mine. "Come." She told me and I looked at Brittany. She gestured for me to follow her so I kissed the little blonde's hand and mumbled 'ok' before dropping it and following them in little Alice's bedroom.

Brittany laid little Alice on her bed and sat by her side, leaning on the headboard and Alice put her head on her mother's lap. I stood there awkwardly, not really knowing where to put myself and not having any idea how to be around children. But Alice was teaching me, and she proved it once more by extending her hand and gesturing for me to come closer. So I did and sat on the side of the bed, opposite of Brittany.

"Tana, when are we gonna dance?" Alice asked me, while Brittany combed her daughter's blonde locks. I pouted at her, she looked so tired and drained and it was weird because she usually was full of life.

"For now, you should get some rest. And when you feel better we'll dance, I promise." I said softly but little Alice frowned at me.

"You always say that." She said and turned her head to rub her face on Brittany's thigh. I learnt by that time that when she rubbed her face it was a sign that she was tired and sleepy. But it still hurt a bit that she was disappointed with me. I didn't stall, it was just that we didn't find a good time yet. I didn't know that she was so serious about it.

"This time I mean it, ok Ali girl?" I asked softly and rubbed her back while she was still breathing heavily. She nodded at me and turned on her back, she extended her arms and waited for me to lean down and let her hug me. She kissed my cheek and I pulled back to look at her. "Sleep well." I whispered at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. I straightened up again and watched as Brittany kissed her daughter's head too and we both stood up. The blonde put the railings on the sides of the bed and checked that the baby monitor was working. I figured that with the breathing problem that little Alice had, it was important that Brittany would watch her constantly. We left the room and when Brittany closed the door she turned to me biting her bottom lip.

"That wasn't good, San." She told me and I frowned questioningly at her. "She didn't even do anything today to be so tired. It's still noon." She said, the worry visible all over her face. I sighed and shrugged helplessly. I really had no idea what was going on with the kid. "We'll have to go to the doctor again." Brittany mumbled and turned to walk away from me.

"Hey!" I protested quietly and she turned to me again and grabbed my hand. I frowned questioningly when she led me to her bedroom and sat me on the bed. She sat next to me and put her legs cross-legged on the bed facing me.

"Are we ok with your dad?" She asked me and I frowned at her.

"There's nothing ok with what you told me, Britt." I told her and she sighed. She grabbed my hand and brought it on her lap and then looked at me pointedly.

"There's no reason to say anything to him. He apologized already." She said and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?" I wondered and Brittany shrugged at me and started playing with my fingers, reminding me of little Alice.

"I was bitter but I thought better about it. He admitted that he did a mistake and then he apologized too. You should forgive him. He's your dad." She told me but I wasn't convinced.

"We ended up owing half a million dollars because we kept forgiving him, Britt." I said pointedly and she sighed looking down at our hands.

"I know, but he'll get help now. You don't know what tomorrow could bring you, San." She said quietly, still looking down and I frowned. "I mean I forgave him although he threatened that he'd say to your mom that I was a prostitute." She mumbled. I ignored everything she said though, I definitely wasn't ready to forgive him. So I focused on something else instead.

"Will you tell me what's going on with you and my mom?" I asked her and she stared at me before sighing. She got up from the bed and stood right in front of me. Her hands went to the hem of the tank top that she was wearing and my eyes widened.

"Wh-what are y-you doing?" I stuttered, my eyes glued on her hands. But Brittany didn't say anything. She just took her top off, revealing soft pale skin on defined abs and small, perky breasts enclosed in a black bra. But weirdly my eyes didn't linger for long on her chest and focused instead on a black dragon that occupied all her left side. The room was so silent that I could practically hear my heartbeats. "Britt." I breathed and went to touch the majestic dragon but when I realized what I was doing I took my hand back. But Brittany grabbed my hand and brought it up to her side again, silently telling me that it was ok to touch. And so I touched her tattoo. I traced the outline with my finger, starting from the side of her breast and all the way down to her hip, feeling Brittany tensing every now and then, and wondered what this tattoo meant. "What do dragons mean?" I voiced my question quietly.

"They're protectors of a treasure." Brittany whispered and I nodded while sliding my hand on her lower back and pulled her closer to me so she was standing between my legs. My other hand went to the back of her thigh to keep her close to me. I was practically eye-level with the dragon and so I leaned forward and kissed the tattoo, causing Brittany to tense and gasp before letting out a shaky breath and relaxing again, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"What's your treasure?" I asked against her skin, although I already knew that answer. I continued to leave small soft kisses all over her side, just enjoying the feeling of Brittany trembling against me and breathing heavily.

"My family." She said shakily and I stopped worshipping her tattoo to look up at her. "My sister and now my daughter too." She said and looked down at me. Her blue eyes bored into mine, sending shivers down my spine at the intensity of her piercing gaze.

"Brittany." I sighed. "Why?" I asked. I wanted to know why she had to take care of her sister. What happened to her? She took my hands away from her body and turned around to show me the tattoo she had on her lower back.

I swallowed thickly at what I saw. _No. _My eyes filled with tears at what this tattoo meant and I reached up to trace it with my fingers. I was actually afraid to touch it, it seemed to be sacred for the blonde. It all made sense, I just wondered how Maribel figured it out just from the first time they met.

"I was only fourteen." Brittany said shakily, she was probably trying not to cry. I slid my hands up her sides and over her stretch marks, admiring the evidence that this body had once little Alice inside of it. I stood up and turned Brittany around so we would face each other. When I looked in her eyes that were red, her tears finally ran down her cheeks. I reached up and wiped them away but new ones ran down her cheeks again.

"Baby, please don't cry." I said softly and went back to rubbing her bare sides up and down comfortingly. Brittany immediately cupped my cheeks and brought our faces just a few inches from each others. Her fast breaths were hitting my skin and I just wanted to lean forward and connect our lips.

"Baby." Brittany breathed, causing me to realize what I had said earlier. But before I could think to react she leaned in and kissed me. I kissed her back while my hands kept exploring the contours of her body and her defined abs. I lost myself in the kiss, all of my senses were invaded by Brittany. I could taste her salty tears, I could hear the soft sounds that she was making, I could feel her soft skin against my fingers and I could smell her scent. I never wanted this feeling to end. But then I remembered what she just showed me and I found enough strength to pull back. She immediately turned away from me and fell face first on the bed.

"Brittany." I sighed and sat on the bed again. She turned sideways to look at me.

"_I don't ever wanna let you down, I don't ever wanna leave this town cause after all this city never sleeps at night_." She started singing and I smiled at her being off the tune. I fell on the bed too and turned to my side to face her as she continued. "_It's time to begin, isn't it? I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit I'm just the same as I was. Now don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am?_" She finished whispering and I shuffled closer to her and kissed her softly for a few seconds before pulling back to look at her puffy blue eyes.

"Do I have to answer with a song too?" I asked her and she chuckled at me before shuffling down the bed and hiding her head under my chin.

"Yes." She mumbled against my chest and I brought my arm up her bare waist to hug her.

"Ok, then." I said and cleared my throat. "_Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood, miss 'no way, it's all good', it didn't slow you down. Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated, look you're still around._" I sang whispering. At first Brittany chuckled at my choice of song but then she relaxed against me. I couldn't see her but I could feel her uneven breathing. "_Pretty, pretty please don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than fucking perfect to me._" I said and she immediately pulled back and kissed me on the lips.

I understood what she wanted to tell me. That she couldn't change her past and who she became because of it. But who could? So I reassured her once more that she was perfect to me and her past wouldn't change that. Besides, her past was what made her who she was. And I fell in love with who she was.

…

_Two weeks later;_

"What time is it?" I asked while bouncing my leg up and down nervously under the table.

"It's still two, Santanita." Maribel said. She wasn't looking at me, she was turned towards the stove where she was cooking something that smelled great. But I really didn't have an appetite at the moment. I was at my uncle's house, waiting for him and my father to come home from the first appointment with the therapist. My parents had settled in the house, all their stuff came from Lima, their house was sold and the money went to where Antonio owed it. So that chapter had closed.

I hadn't talk with Antonio about Brittany yet though. The only thing that we fought for was the therapist he had to see. He had insisted that he didn't need the therapist's help, that he could do it by himself. But neither my uncle nor I fell for that.

"So, what are you doing here?" Maribel asked me and I arched my eyebrows in surprise.

"What do you mean? I'm waiting for your husband to come home." I said bitterly and Maribel sighed, still having her back to me.

"Why?" She asked me and I frowned.

"What do you mean why?" I asked back and my mother turned to me.

"Your girlfriend is at the doctor because her daughter might need surgery and you're here doing what?" She asked me and crossed her arms in front of her chest. I did the same and leaned back on the chair that I was sitting.

"First of all, she's not my girlfriend yet." I said and Maribel rolled her eyes at me. I internally did the same, Brittany was practically my girlfriend, it just wasn't official because we didn't talk about it. I spent most of the time that I wasn't working with those two blondes, Brittany was being open with me, she even told me what happened when she was fourteen. She didn't get into any details, just the fact, but it was still important to me that she did that. Plus, we got so close to having sex for the first time over the last two weeks but we always stopped at the last minute. And I had no idea what we were waiting for anymore.

"You still didn't answer my question." Maribel interrupted my thoughts of a half-naked Brittany on top of me.

"How do you know about the doctor's appointment though?" I asked her and narrowed my eyes.

"Brittany told me." She shrugged and turned towards the stove again. I still had my eyes narrowed.

"Are you two like best friends now?" I asked. I definitely didn't have a problem with that, I was actually really happy that they got along so great. Brittany definitely needed that, although she wouldn't admit it. She was actually starting to be more cheerful, but I was sure that she hadn't dealt with what happened when she was fourteen yet.

"Santanita, why aren't you with them?" Maribel asked me again and I sighed.

"I wanted to know what's going on with papi." I mumbled and Maribel turned to me again.

"We still have a long road to see any change. This is one of the many appointments he'll go to, honey." My mother told me and I bit my bottom lip. "Mario and Matt are here too, you don't have to worry about him." She said.

"I don't even know if Brittany wants me there." I mumbled more to myself and Maribel huffed at me.

"Of course she does. She didn't say anything because of Antonio." She said. But before I could decide what to do, Antonio, Mario and Matt entered the kitchen. My uncle came immediately towards me and kissed the top of my head before sitting beside me. Matt sat on the head of the table and Antonio sat opposite me. "Are you hungry?" Maribel asked and everybody nodded so my mother started setting the table. I was looking at my dad expectantly and he sighed.

"We'll focus first on me admitting that I have a problem and that because I need counseling doesn't mean I'm weak. I'll also join a Gamblers Anonymous program." He mumbled looking down at the table and I nodded. It sounded like he had it rehearsed to say it like that and that he didn't mean it, but I wasn't expecting any miracles. Like Maribel said, this was one appointment of the many he would go to.

…

"So, what happened?" I asked Brittany. After we ate I left the table so I could call her and ask her what the doctor said. Actually Maribel made me feel guilty that I didn't go with them.

"_The doctor said that we should wait for another month to make any decisions about surgery._" Brittany said.

"A month?" I asked in surprise. "Isn't that too long?"

"_There's no need to hurry into anything._" She said. It sounded like she was shuffling around something. "_So, what happened with your dad?_" She asked me and I sighed.

"Nothing, it's still early to see any change." I mumbled and sat on the couch in the living room.

"_Well, ok._" Brittany said with heavy breathing making me arch an eyebrow. "_Hey honey, I have to go now, ok?_" She asked me still breathing heavily.

"Wait! What are you doing?" I asked her.

"_You'll have to come over if you want to find out._" She said quickly and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, ok." I mumbled. "I'll come later." I told her and she said 'ok' before hanging up. I went back in the kitchen but as soon as I stepped inside everyone stopped talking, effectively making me frown. I noticed that Matt was gone but I figured he would come again later.

"What's going on?" I asked and Maribel sighed while Antonio huffed.

"Antonio is trying to convince us that Brittany is not good enough for you." Maribel said. I noticed that my uncle and my father were staring each other down. Those two were the only ones that knew Brittany had been a prostitute, Maribel was clueless. I turned my attention to my father and narrowed my eyes on him.

"You don't even know her so don't talk about her." I told him and went to sit opposite him again.

"_You _don't know who she really is." He said and I chuckled. But I definitely didn't find it funny. He obviously didn't know that I had been her attorney.

"I know _everything_." I told him pointedly. I was careful not to say anything about Brittany being a prostitute. I figured she would want to say that to my mother by herself. My father swallowed thickly.

"Then you know that she's not good enough." He mumbled and I frowned.

"You don't even know why she did what she did." I told him and he frowned back at me.

"I don't care why she did it, Santana." He snapped at me. "I would never let you do that, where was her father to control her?" He asked me and I flared my nostrils.

"Stop talking!" I snapped back. "You don't know anything so why don't you shut up?" I asked and stood up to leave. He stood too and grabbed my arm.

"Do not talk to me like that, Santana." He said angrily and I shrugged my arm free from his grasp.

"All she did was to forgive you and tried to make me forgive you too. And what did you do? You just sit there and judge her without knowing." I said and he stared at me like he didn't believe what I told him.

"What's going on?" Maribel finally asked. But I didn't turn to look at her because I didn't know what to say to her.

"Santana." Antonio sighed and went to touch me again but I took a step back from him.

"You know what? You should start making things right." I said and turned to leave the kitchen and the house.

I couldn't believe that he apologized to Brittany but didn't actually mean it. And Brittany believed him. But I decided to not tell her that, she really didn't need my father being mean on top of her other problems. It was simple in my mind, if he didn't start making things right I would make them for him. I would tell Maribel about it by myself. But then I thought better about it and decided to not make any decisions while being angry, it would only cause more problems. And there were only two people in the world that would calm me down. So I made my way to Brittany's apartment to see my two favorite blondes.

* * *

A.N.: Tell me your thoughts. What do you think is Brittany's tattoo on her lower back?


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

I knocked on the door but instead of Brittany I was met with her replica. Little Alice didn't have time for greetings though, because she just grabbed my hand and pulled me in the apartment before closing the door. Brittany was sitting on the floor, between the coffee table and the couch, writing something. Alice tugged my hand before dropping it and went to stand in front of Brittany and between her mother's legs.

"Hi." I said confused and Brittany smiled at me and gestured for me to go closer. She gave the pencil that she was holding to her daughter, who seemed really excited about it because she started going back and forth on her feet while writing on a sheet. "What's up?" I asked and went to sit next to them on the couch.

"Look Tana, I mafs too!" Little Alice said excited and went back to writing down, her tongue was poking out of her mouth in concentration, making her look adorable. I arched an eyebrow and leaned down to confirm my suspicions. _Yep, numbers._ I chuckled while straightening up again and Brittany leaned her head back on the couch to look at me upside down.

"You're crazy." I told her and she stuck her tongue out at me, making me roll my eyes. "You're gonna burn her brain." I said and she snorted.

"Please. My baby's the smartest of them all." She said.

"Of course she is." I said smiling. Every parent would think that their kid was the smartest, but little Alice could actually be. Brittany licked her lips and brought her hand up to grab my t-shirt and tugged me down so she could kiss me. She caught me by surprise because she never wanted to do that in front of Alice. But the kid wasn't looking at us so she took the opportunity to give me a peck on the lips. When we pulled apart Brittany turned towards her daughter again.

"Hey baby, why don't you show Santana what else you've learnt?" She asked her and little Alice immediately dropped the pencil that she was holding and started to run towards her bedroom. "Don't run Ali. And be careful with it, please." Brittany added and Alice calmed down before leaving the living room. Brittany turned sideways to face me. "Hi." She told me and I sighed. "What's wrong?" She asked frowning.

"I'll tell you later." I shrugged and Brittany nodded, eyeing me for a few seconds.

"Well, I hope you're prepared cause Ali will tell you to dance." She said and I arched an eyebrow at her. "I didn't let her do anything tiring for like a week…" She trailed off with narrowed eyes. "So she has enough energy to tire both you and me." She finished.

"Ok, but you won't be there." I mumbled and she arched an eyebrow at me. "What? I can't dance." I said defensively and she snorted.

"I'm sure you can." She said and patted my knee just in time for Alice to come running in the living room again. Brittany immediately turned to her. "I said don't run with the compass, Ali." She scolded and Alice pouted. Then I noticed that little Alice was actually holding a plastic compass.

"You gotta be kidding me." I mumbled to myself but Brittany heard me and chuckled.

"Nope." She said and I rolled my eyes. I watched as little Alice took her place between Brittany's legs again and started to draw circles. She actually managed to do it, with Brittany's help, and I groaned.

"I don't even know how to hold that thing." I whined. Alice giggled and Brittany laughed at me making me huff. Then her phone started to ring, which was next to me on the couch. I grabbed it to give it to her but she didn't take it.

"Who is it?" She asked me and continued drawing circles with Alice. So I looked down to see that her sister was calling her.

"Anna." I said. Brittany and Alice finished the circle they were doing before Brittany got up. She gestured for me to take over as she was getting her phone from me and I looked at her with disbelief. But she shrugged and left, leaving me with little Alice. So I took Brittany's place on the floor behind the kid. "Ok, show me." I said. Little Alice was still bouncing up and down excitedly.

"No." She said and dropped the instrument. "Let's dance!" She squealed turning to face me. I arched my eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, that was fast." I whispered to myself. Little Alice grabbed my hand and tugged me so I would stand up. "Ok." I breathed. "What do we do?" I asked and looked around, having no idea what I should do.

"We want music." Alice told me and I turned to look at her going towards Brittany who was in the kitchen and just ended the call. "Music." She told her. Brittany looked at me and smirked and I rolled my eyes at her.

"What song?" Brittany asked. Alice seemed to be thinking about it, still bouncing excitedly.

"La bomba!" She exclaimed then, making me arch my eyebrows in surprise.

"La bomba?" I asked as Brittany went to the stereo next to the TV and shuffled on her IPod. After a few seconds the song started playing and I chuckled. "You can't be serious." I said amused and Brittany came to me as little Alice started dancing around. "Do you even know what the lyrics say?" I asked her and she shrugged letting me know that she didn't care. She grabbed my waist and tugged me so I was standing next to Alice.

"Dance." She breathed against my ear, effectively making me drop my smile.

"Ok." I mumbled. I tried the moves that little Alice was doing but I wasn't getting it right most of the time. So Brittany came and stood right behind me, guiding my body so I would be doing the choreography right.

"So you meant it when you said you couldn't dance." Brittany said amused and I groaned. "Someone would think that with that body you'd be a great dancer." She said then and I rolled my eyes.

"Should I be offended or flattered by that?" I asked her and she turned me around and tugged me closer to her, still moving our bodies with the rhythm.

"You should be flattered. Because you're great." She said looking directly in my eyes. But before I could say anything little Alice squeezed herself between Brittany and I and looked up at us.

"You're doing it wrong." She told me frowning. I pouted at her but her face remained still. "Again." She said looking at Brittany and the tall blonde arched her eyebrows at her daughter. "Please." Little Alice added and Brittany nodded. She winked at me before going to the stereo again, restarting the song.

"It's on repeat." She told me and sucked her lips trying not to laugh and I huffed at her. But then she looked like she just remembered something. "Oh Anna and Jake will come by in a bit." She said but before I had time to say anything Alice tugged my hand to turn me around and away from Brittany.

I stood next to the little blonde, trying to mimic her moves. After five times of repeating the same song I managed to learn the choreography by heart, but that didn't mean that we should stop. It only meant that the song would change. Brittany didn't dance with us, she was just watching me in amusement. I would glare at her at times but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. She actually found it even more amusing.

But I enjoyed my time with the little blonde. She seemed to be so happy just by dancing. Although her breathing problem was becoming more and more visible as the time went by, she was still carefree and cheerful. The song changed again and I could see the little blonde that she wanted to keep dancing but she was also really tired. So I picked her up and kept dancing by myself causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

"Tana!" She squealed smiling brightly at me. I smiled back and the little blonde poked my dimples, something she probably found very amusing. I turned around on the spot for a couple of times, effectively making myself dizzy. "Stop, stop!" Alice squealed between her giggling and heavy breathing.

And so I finally let myself sit on the ground with little Alice still in my arms. I was breathing heavily too, apparently holding Alice and dancing at the same time was really tiring.

"God, you're heavy." I told her and she whined.

"I'm not!" Alice protested and I made a face at her, causing her to giggle again.

"I'm hungry all of a sudden. I should eat something." I said and grabbed her tiny body so she couldn't run away. "And my favorite food is little girls!" I exclaimed then and pretended that I was going to eat her tummy and neck. Little Alice squealed and giggled and tried to get away from my grasp but when she realized that I was stronger than her she pushed me down, causing me to stop.

I fully laid on the floor and little Alice shuffled on me so she was straddling my stomach. Just then the music stopped but I didn't bother to sit up, I was still trying to catch my breath to be able to speak to Brittany, who obviously was the one who turned the music off. I had totally forgotten that the tall blonde was there too. Little Alice finally let herself to lie on top of me, still straddling my stomach and rested her head on my chest.

"I need to sleep." She mumbled and I looked down to see that she had her eyes closed. Her energy seemed to vanish abruptly. I brought my hands up and rubbed her back, causing her to hum. I reached down and kissed the top of her head before relaxing on the floor again. I thought Alice had fallen asleep because her breaths evened out but she spoke up again. "I love you, Tana." She mumbled causing my eyes to widen. I stared at the ceiling for long moments, not really believing that this little angel, _Brittany's _daughter, told me that she loved me. I stayed like that, staring at the ceiling, until I felt the weight of the kid disappearing from the top of me. I looked down to see that Brittany had picked her up. I immediately stood up, ignoring the burning at my legs.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered looking at Brittany with still wide eyes. She was looking at me with her usual expressionless face.

"Yes." She simply said and I frowned at her. "You don't feel the same?" She asked me and my eyes widened once again. I looked at the little blonde, who was sleeping in Brittany's arms, with her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Of course I do." I said.

"Then why didn't you tell her?" She asked me frowning and I understood what the problem was. Brittany wanted to protect the kid because she thought I didn't love her too. It made sense that she was so protective, little Alice already had a father who didn't care about her.

"She caught me by surprise. She's so easy to love, Britt." I said and Brittany bit her bottom lip. "I would do anything for her, you know that. I love her so much." I said then. _Almost as much as I love you, _I thought but didn't say it out loud. I didn't want to freak her out. I was actually freaking out myself because I had never felt that strongly about anyone and acknowledging it wasn't easy.

I suddenly felt soft lips against mine. I didn't even realize that Brittany had leaned in to connect our lips. But the way Brittany kissed me wasn't soft. She was trying to convey whatever she couldn't say with words. Gratitude.

…

Little Alice was sleeping in her bedroom and Brittany and I were sitting in the living room in silence. The blonde was on her stomach, lying on the couch and facing me. I was sitting on the floor by her side, trying to decide how to start.

"Britt, I have to tell you something." I mumbled then and rubbed the back of my neck nervously.

"What's wrong?" She asked me frowning.

"My dad isn't as sincere as you think he is." I said and she arched her eyebrows at me. "I don't think he's really sorry about what he did to you." I added. I decided to be honest with Brittany, I didn't want my father to be a reason for Brittany to lose her trust to me.

"Ok." She said and I frowned at her.

"Ok? You don't care?" I asked her.

"Why should I care? The guilt's on him. If he isn't sorry then it's his fucking problem. I would never do something like that to anyone." She shrugged.

"But he's addicted." I mumbled and Brittany leaned her weight on her elbows.

"He's addicted at gambling, not at being an asshole." She told me angrily and I frowned.

"That's my dad you're talking about, Britt." I told her and she huffed.

"Just because he's a father doesn't make him automatically a good man, San." She said and I sighed. Brittany was right, and the perfect example would be Sam.

"Look, I don't want to fight with you about him. It's unfair. I just thought I should tell you that he isn't really sorry." I shrugged and turned to lean my back on the couch and sighed.

"Well, it's great that you're taking his side." She told me and huffed, causing me to turn quickly around again.

"I'm not taking his side." I said frowning but Brittany didn't say anything. "Baby, I'm with you." I said and Brittany laid fully on the couch again. "I'm not talking to him until he tells my mom about it." I told her then and she arched her eyebrows at me.

"That means that he'll tell her about me too." She mumbled.

"Not if you tell her first." I shrugged and Brittany hummed. "Are you mad?" I asked her then and poked her arm that was in front of me.

"I'm not mad. I'm just confused with your dad." She said and I frowned questioningly at her. "I don't understand where he stops being addicted and starts being an asshole." She told me and I snorted.

"I think it's always a mixture of both." I mumbled. I understood that what he did to Brittany was because he was addicted but not being sorry about it, was just him being mean. I sighed and got up from the floor and sat by Brittany's side on the couch. "I'm sorry for what he did to you." I told her and started rubbing her back over her tank top, causing her to hum.

"Don't be, it's not your fault." She said quietly. Her tank top risen up from my movements and the start of her tattoo on her lower back appeared.

"Can I see this again?" I dared to whisper and Brittany just nodded at me. I pushed her tank top up and away so the whole tattoo was on display.

I traced my fingers on the two saintly angels. Their imposing wings and halos made the tattoo look holy and supernal. Under the first one there was written 'George' and under the other one there was written 'Lysanne' with cursive letters. And under that there was a ribbon with the date 'July 13th, 2001' on it. I couldn't imagine what it would feel like losing your parents when you were just fourteen. Brittany might felt that her whole world had crumbled down. And she had to take care of her sister too. When I was fourteen I couldn't take care of myself.

I remembered Brittany telling me that she drew her tattoos by herself. I figured that was how Brittany saw her parents, like they were her guardian angels. Pure, peaceful, serene. Giving her strength and protecting her.

She never told me how she felt, she never even told me how they died. I had so many questions about what happened next but I didn't ask, I knew she would tell me by herself when she would be ready.

"San?" Brittany called, breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see that she had her eyes closed. I hummed to let her know that I heard her and tugged her tank top down again. But before she could say anything there was a knock on the door. Just then I remembered that Brittany had told me that Anna and Jake would come over. The blonde groaned while getting up from the couch, she gave me a peck and then went to answer the door. I thought that I would never get tired of her kisses, that the time when I wouldn't want one would never come.

Brittany opened the door and greeted her sister and her sister's boyfriend. I knew that Brittany was trying to like Jake for her sister's sake. But I remembered her telling me that there would never be someone good enough for her sister. Brittany was the definition of protectiveness when it came to her family.

"Hi." Both Anna and Jake told me when they came in and I smiled at them. They were still twenty and still studying.

"Is the kid sleeping?" Anna asked and both Brittany and I nodded at her. "Well, guess what." She told us and came to sit on the couch next to me. She gestured to what Jake was holding.

"Beers?" Brittany asked and came to sit on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. She started tidying what she and Alice were writing earlier.

"Yes!" Anna exclaimed cheerfully as Jake came to sit on my other side on the couch. "Let's play something." Anna added and Brittany snorted.

"Do I look like a teenager to you?" Brittany asked and I chuckled as Anna rolled her eyes. The older blonde stood up again and went to the kitchen. Anna turned to me.

"Do something." She told me frowning and I frowned back. "She thinks we're kids." She told me and I chuckled.

"Aren't you?" I asked her and she huffed. "Ok, ok." I said and held my hands up defensively. I got up from the couch and went in the kitchen where Brittany was. She was tidying the sheets and compasses and calculators in a drawer. "Hey, babe." I said and she turned to me with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm not getting drunk with my sister." She told me immediately and I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's just a beer." I said pointedly and she shrugged.

"She's still a kid." She said.

"Come on!" I whined. "You should have fun with her. You're no fun." I mumbled.

"I know that, honey." She fake smiled at me and I glared at her. "Alright, just a beer." She finally said and I smirked at her.

"You're so easy." I told her. She definitely wasn't easy. She rolled her eyes at me and grabbed my hand to tug me in the living room again. Brittany sat opposite her sister and I sat opposite Jake on the floor, the coffee table between us.

"I honestly cannot believe this." Anna mumbled while she took the beers from Jake and gave one to everybody. "What did you do to my sister?" She asked me and Brittany snorted.

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked and Anna immediately shook her head.

"No, no. Let's play never have I ever."Anna said and Brittany frowned.

"Teenagers." She mumbled and I shuffled closer to her and grabbed her hand to get her attention.

"Don't be mean." I whispered in her ear and she rolled her eyes before nodding.

"Ok, go first." Anna told Jake, who was obviously intimidated by Brittany. He seemed to be thinking about it.

"Never have I ever cried at a funeral." He said and I wondered if he didn't know that their parents were dead. Or maybe he was _that _nervous that his brain wasn't working. I drank from my beer anyway, because I did cry at the funeral of Quinn's grandfather seven years ago. Anna drank too, probably she cried at the funeral of her own parents. But Brittany didn't drink, effectively confirming my suspicions that she hadn't dealt with her parents' loss yet. Her face was expressionless but I was sure that she was sad just like her sister. So I quickly changed the subject to lighten the mood again.

"Never have I ever made a blonde joke." I said and both Brittany and Anna looked at me glaring. "What? I haven't." I said defensively.

"Well thanks." Brittany mumbled and I shrugged at her. Jake drank from his beer, making Anna to hit him on his arm.

"They're funny, babe." He protested, rubbing his arm. "They're _jokes_." He said and rolled his eyes before catching Brittany's death glare.

"Your turn." I said and nudged Brittany's shoulder with mine, before he could rip Jake apart.

"Ok." She breathed and seemed to be thinking about it. "Never have I ever failed a course." She said looking at Anna pointedly. The younger blonde rolled her eyes before taking a sip from her beer, Jake did the same. Brittany turned to me to see that I didn't drink from mine. "See Jake, now this one's a successful lawyer." She said gesturing at me and I arched an eyebrow.

"You're studying law?" I asked him and he nodded at me.

"Are you a lawyer?" He asked me and I nodded. "What area?"

"Family law." I said and felt Brittany's hand grabbing mine and entwining our fingers. She was probably thinking about the trial so I squeezed her hand to remind her that everything was fine. Jake nodded at me.

"Just for the record, I was sick the day of the exam." Anna said then and Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Being hangover is not an illness." She said pointedly and I chuckled. Anna huffed.

"It was the last party of the year." Anna said defensively and then looked at me. "Just so you know, she spent her summers doing math shit until she got pregnant so…" She trailed off and shrugged and I laughed out loud.

"Hey, I was a dedicated student." Brittany protested. "At least I had fun _and _passed all my courses." She shrugged too and Anna huffed.

"Lots of fun." She said sarcastically and Brittany arched an eyebrow at her, causing her to deflate. "And I'll pass too." She defended herself. "Anyway, never have I ever… had someone sing to me." She said and both Brittany and I took a sip, still holding hands. The one that sang to me was Brittany, and when I turned to her the look she sent me let me one that the one that sang to her was me.

"I'll sing to you." Jake said then and Anna smiled at him. Brittany cleared her throat to ruin their moment and she succeeded since her sister glared at her and Jake rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Never have I ever cheated on someone." He said then and I groaned taking a sip, the same time Brittany did. I pointed at her and she shrugged.

"Never liked Liz. She was trying too much." Anna mumbled and I arched an eyebrow.

"You cheated on her?" I asked Brittany and she nodded biting her bottom lip. I clicked my tongue at her.

"Like you're one to talk." Anna said teasingly.

"I was young and naïve." I said defensively and Anna shrugged.

"We're young too." She said.

"Exactly, you're still young. You never know." Brittany said and shrugged.

"Age doesn't mean anything." Jake spoke up. "If you find the one, it doesn't matter how old you are." He said and looked at Brittany. The older blonde stared at him before nodding her head slowly.

"Fair enough." She said, making the couple smile.

"Ok, my turn." I spoke up then and thought about it for a few seconds. "Never have I ever been caught while sneaking out." I said and watched as Anna was the only one to take a sip from her beer. Brittany was shaking her head at her sister.

"Not again." Anna groaned and I arched an eyebrow.

"You still didn't tell me where you wanted to go." Brittany said and Anna rolled her eyes.

"I won't tell you until you stop whining about it." She said.

"I'm not whining. I wasn't about to let you go out at night in New York. How old were you? Fifteen?" She asked and Anna shrugged.

"It's not like _you _didn't do it." Anna said and Brittany narrowed her eyes.

"You and me are not the same, Anna." She told her sister. Anna narrowed her eyes back and was about to speak but I beat her to it.

"Don't fight. It's your turn." I told Brittany, tugging her hand to bring it on my lap, and she sighed. She threw one last warning look at her sister who was doing that thing that always confused me. She tried being angry with Brittany but she was actually sad about it.

"Never have I ever meant it when I said 'I love you' to someone that I was in a relationship with." Brittany said then. I stared at her, not taking a sip and she stared back. Jake and Anna took a sip before Anna spoke up.

"Wow, you two deserve each other. Lying that you love people and then cheating on them." She clicked her tongue and shook her head. I shrugged at Brittany and she shrugged back while shuffling even closer to me.

"Do you think we deserve each other?" She whispered in my ear.

"Yes. But not because of that." I told her.

"Then what?" She wondered and I shrugged.

"I don't know. That's just the way it is." I mumbled causing Brittany to lean forward and kiss me. But it didn't last for long because Anna spoke up.

"Hey, there are kids around." She said teasingly and Brittany pulled back and glared at her. But Anna just shrugged. "Never have I ever…" She trailed off and thought about it. "Had a fuck buddy." She said. Nobody took a sip and I rolled my eyes.

"Fuck it." I breathed and drank the rest of my beer. When I looked at Brittany again she had her eyebrow arched at me. "Young and naïve." I mumbled again and she shook her head.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's watch a movie." She said while dropping my hand and standing up and I frowned at her. Was she mad that I had a fuck buddy? Maybe it wasn't one, but it was so many years ago.

Everybody agreed to watch the movie Colombiana. I probably watched that movie six times but I didn't have any problem watching it again and again. We settled on the couch, Anna and Jake on one side of the couch and I sat on the other side of the couch. Brittany went to the kitchen to throw away the bottles of beer that we drank and when she came back I thought she wouldn't sit next to me because she was mad. But she surprised me by sitting right next to me and then she started the movie. I frowned because I was confused. Was she mad or not? I decided to ask her.

"Are you mad?" I asked whispering and she turned to me frowning.

"No, why would I be mad?" She asked me back and grabbed my legs to drape them over hers. I was staring at her.

"Why did you stop the game then?" I asked and watched her face as she realized what I was talking about.

"Because my sister said 'fuck'." She told me and I arched my eyebrows at her.

"So what?" I asked and she shrugged, turning to look at the movie again. "Britt, I thought you were joking before. She's twenty, she's not a baby. When you were twenty weren't you saying 'fuck'?" I asked her.

"It's different." She mumbled still not looking at me.

"It really isn't." I said and she huffed.

"I also didn't want to know about people fucking you or you fucking other people." She said it like she was telling me the weather, causing me to choke on nothing.

"Hey, are you ok?" Anna asked me from the other side of the couch, oblivious to the conversation I was having with Brittany, and I managed to say 'yes'. I turned to Brittany again to see that she was watching the movie, but I could tell that she wasn't really paying attention to it. I clicked my tongue and turned to the TV too.

"Fucking fucked up." Brittany said once I relaxed against her and I rolled my eyes. I turned to her and covered her mouth with my hand.

"Will you stop saying that?" I asked her quietly and she waggled her eyebrows up and down at me.

"Why?" She asked, her voice muffled because of my hand. I was really enjoying this side of Brittany, although she was teasing me.

"Just stop." I mumbled. She caused me to not be able to think anything else but 'fucking' her. "Your sister's more mature than you." I said and she snorted. I glared at her and she held her hands up defensively. So I removed my hand from her mouth and relaxed against her again.

"Ok." She whispered and put her arm around me and tugged me even closer to her. "But seriously, I can't help it, San." She told me and I frowned questioningly at her. "Anna will always be a baby to me." She mumbled and I sighed.

"She obviously doesn't like that." I said. Brittany looked at her sister before turning back to me.

"San, I think she feels guilty." She told me.

"About what?" I wondered and Brittany took a deep breath.

"That I had to take care of her. She never said anything and that's good cause I definitely don't want to have that conversation with her." She told me. What Brittany said made absolute sense, if Anna was feeling guilty it would explain that she was sad every time their past would come up but she was getting angry to hide it.

"But you have to talk about it." I frowned but Brittany shrugged dismissively at me.

"Anyway." She said then, letting me know that that conversation was over. You really couldn't force the blonde to talk about something that she didn't want to talk about. And I definitely didn't want to push her. So I sighed and turned to watch the rest of the movie.

…

"So..." Brittany trailed off and sat next to me on the couch. Anna and Jake had just left. I would leave too, although I didn't want to. But it was late and I had work in the morning. So I stood up but Brittany stood too and grabbed my arm, turning me to face her.

"Britt." I groaned.

"I want to ask you something." She told me seriously, effectively getting my attention.

"Ok." I said slowly, turning to see her swallowing thickly.

"Do I have you, San?" She asked me and I frowned, not understanding what she was really asking.

"What do you mean?" I wondered. Brittany shrugged and looked away from me.

"I mean that if I have you then I won't care about your fuck buddies." She said and I arched my eyebrows in surprise at her question, staring at her. But she was still not looking at me.

"You most definitely have me." I said quietly and Brittany finally looked at me. She surprised me by sliding her hands on my back and tugged me so there wasn't any space between our bodies.

"Good, cause I want you so much." She whispered, our faces only a few inches from each other's. Her hooded blue eyes were full of lust and desire, causing my mouth to go dry. She glanced down at my lips and I looked at her pierced lips too.

"Do _I _have you?" I asked with a raspy voice. But Brittany didn't answer with words, she just leaned forward and kissed me, letting me know that her answer was 'yes' too.

I honestly didn't want to have that conversation with Brittany and I was glad that she didn't want to have it either. Because I didn't want to know with how many people she had sex with and how many people had touched her. And I didn't want to tell her how many people had touched me. It was enough for me to know that now she was mine and apparently it was enough for her too. And at that moment, with Brittany's pierced lips on mine, it didn't matter about anyone else. It was just her and me and what we had.

And that night I fell asleep happy. Because I had spent my day making Alice giggle. And because little Alice told me that she loved me. And because no matter what happened in the past and what the future held for us, I knew that Brittany was mine and I was hers.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

Warning: Sexual themes.

* * *

I was on my lunch break on a Friday and we had agreed with Quinn to meet. She had come by my office because she had a meeting with a client somewhere near the firm I was working at.

"So, what's going on with your dad?" Quinn asked me while we were eating. I shrugged and kept eating my food without looking at her. "You don't know?" She asked me and I sighed.

"I'm not talking to him." I mumbled.

"Why?" She asked me.

"I don't know. It's just that…" I trailed off and shrugged. "It's just that he doesn't really act like my dad anymore." I said quietly and Quinn sighed. I looked up to see that she was looking at me frowning.

"Is it about Brittany?" She asked me and I nodded. "Why is that news though? He was never ok with you being a lesbian, why does it bother you because he doesn't like her?" She asked and I sighed.

"It's more complicated than that." I said vaguely. I didn't want to get into details with Quinn about what Antonio did to Brittany. "Besides, just because I know he's not ok with it doesn't mean I have to accept it too. He should respect me." I said frowning and Quinn nodded slowly at me.

"You're right." She told me. Just then my phone buzzed and I looked to see that I had a text from Brittany. I immediately sucked my lips to hide a smile, although I still didn't know what the text was saying. Just seeing Brittany's name on the screen made my heart jump. I opened the text ignoring Quinn's arched eyebrow.

**From Brittany: Are you busy?**

"Is it Brittany?" Quinn asked me and I rolled my eyes. She knew me too well, but I nodded anyway. "Tell her to come here." She said and I frowned.

"No." I simply said and Quinn frowned at me. I shrugged and pressed the button to call Brittany and she immediately answered.

"_Hey, San._" She said softly and I let out a long breath when I heard her sweet voice. Maybe the last time I had talked to her was the night before but that was some hours too long for me to wait to talk to her again.

"Hi." I said and frowned at Quinn who was trying to tell me something but I couldn't understand what.

"_Are you working?_" Brittany asked me.

"No, I'm on my lunch break. Quinn's here too." I said and Quinn mouthed at me to tell Brittany hi. "And she says hi." I added.

"_Well, I'm saying hi back._" Brittany said.

"Britt says to stop bothering her." I told Quinn and she widened her eyes at me.

"_San!_" Brittany tried to scold me but she was laughing. "_I said hi._" She told me again and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry, I must've heard wrong." I said and Quinn flared her nostrils at me but I just smiled at her. "So, what's up?" I asked.

"_What are you doing tonight?_" Brittany asked me and I looked away from Quinn.

"Nothing." I shrugged.

"_Do you want to come with me?_" She asked me. I closed my eyes tightly and forced the thoughts of the double meaning away. After a few seconds that I didn't answer Brittany spoke up again. "_Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?_" She asked me.

"That was really confusing." I mumbled and Brittany snorted.

"_Well anyway, do you want to?_" She asked me again.

"Sure." I shrugged. I always wanted to spend time with the blonde, no matter what. "Where are we going though?" I asked her.

"_It's a surprise._" She told me and I arched an eyebrow. "_Just put on casual clothes and I'll pick you up at nine._" She said and I hummed.

"Ok." I said.

"_Ok._" Brittany echoed. _"I'll let you get back to your break now. Tell Quinn I said _hi." She emphasized and I rolled my eyes. I mumbled 'ok' before we said our goodbyes and hung up.

"Why didn't you tell her to come here?" Quinn immediately asked me and I frowned.

"Because my break will be over in fifteen minutes and I'm not leaving you two alone." I said pointedly and Quinn huffed at me.

"It's not like I don't see her at the dance studio. And I'm not gonna steal her from you, I'm straight." She said and I arched an eyebrow.

"Nobody's completely straight. And if there's one person that'd make you question your sexuality that'd be Brittany. I'm not gonna risk it." I said and Quinn rolled her eyes at me.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" She asked me and I frowned.

"Who said anything about love?" I wondered. Quinn looked at me pointedly and I shrugged at her. I was definitely not going to admit that to her although she already knew it.

"Well ok then, I'll just talk to her at the studio. She seems to be more approachable lately anyway." Quinn shrugged and I narrowed my eyes at her. "I'll tell her all about your high school 'adventures'." She said then smiling innocently but I could see the threat in her hazel eyes.

"You know what? She knows all about my 'adventures'." I said and Quinn arched her eyebrows at me in surprise. "Sometimes I think to myself that if I have friends like you then my enemies are gonna have a bad time at hurting me." I said sarcastically.

"I wouldn't hurt you." Quinn said frowning and I smiled at her.

"I know. And if you want to hang out with her so much, I guess we could arrange something." I shrugged. Quinn smiled brightly at me and I frowned at her. "And why are you so happy about it?" I asked and side-eyed her and she huffed.

"Because she seems really cool, and she's my best friend's girlfriend and I want to get to know her. Is it that weird?" She asked me.

"No, it's not weird." I sighed. I still didn't know if Brittany was my girlfriend but I wasn't in a hurry to determine that and put a label on us. But it would be good to know since people assumed we were a couple anyway.

…

"So, where are we going?" I asked. We were walking for the past twenty minutes, and I didn't have a problem with that. I said so when Brittany had asked me, but it was dark and I wanted to know how long it would take.

"God, those lawyers." Brittany mumbled and shook her head and I rolled my eyes at her. "Always so curious about everything." She added.

"That's not a lawyer thing. It's me." I said frowning and Brittany turned to me with an arched eyebrow. "Well I'm sorry that I want to know where I'm going." I said sarcastically and Brittany grabbed my hand and entwined her fingers with mine.

"Are you afraid?" She whispered amused and I huffed.

"Yes." I said pointedly and she chuckled.

"Don't be." She shrugged and looked ahead of us again. I could hear loud noises from afar. "I think we're lost." She told me seriously and I immediately stopped and looked at her with wide eyes when she turned to me. "I'm kidding, babe." She said trying not to laugh and tugged my hand so I would continue walking. I huffed at her.

"That was definitely not funny." I said and started walking again. Brittany chuckled at me.

After a few minutes the noises started getting more and more loud until we couldn't hear ourselves anymore. We arrived at a seemingly abandoned parking lot that held some kind of festival.

We entered the lot but I couldn't really see anything because it was really dark. The only light would come from people who did tricks with fire. Dangerous tricks. I watched as a guy put into his mouth a burning torch and I winced. I stared at him and the tricks he was making until I felt Brittany tugging my hand. I turned to continue walking.

"What is this place?" I shouted into Brittany's ear so she could hear me. As we walked through the lot I watched other people doing graffiti that were visible at night on walls. Others were singing, others were playing drums and others were dancing.

"This is the pulse of the street." She told me and I frowned questioningly at her. "Anyone with any kind of talent can come here and show off once a year." She explained and I nodded impressed. My attention got a woman who was playing music by rubbing the rim of glasses. I kept looking around while Brittany guided me through the crowd. When we passed by a circle of people that were dancing Brittany stopped to watch them. Some people nodded at her and she nodded back.

"How did you find out about this place?" I asked her.

"Matt and Jenna. They should be around here somewhere tattooing people." She said and looked around before looking back at the dancers. "I used to come here and dance before Ali was born." She told me and I nodded. I could see it in her eyes how much she loved dancing. "I won once too." She added.

"Is it a competition?" I asked and she shrugged.

"The prize is the recognition you get as a dancer." She said, her eyes never leaving the dancers.

"Hey, why aren't you dancing now?" I asked her and nudged her shoulder with mine. "You'd totally win." I said and she turned to me chuckling.

"That's not why I asked you to come with me. I want to show you something." She said.

"What?" I asked and the blonde started walking again. As we walked, the crowd started to space out and the noises started to fade. We arrived at the other side of the lot where there was grass and I could hear water running but I couldn't see it. The only light would come from the festival behind us.

"This is my spot." Brittany whispered in the silence. The only thing you could hear was the water running, which blocked out the noises from the festival. Brittany sat down on the grass and tugged me so I would sit by her left side. "Once I saw a star falling but I ruined my wish by asking for a unicorn." She told me seriously, looking up at the sky where you could see the stars clearly.

"Hey, you never know. It may come true." I answered seriously, not sure if Brittany was kidding or not. But she turned to me smiling, letting me know that she wasn't serious. "Do you know the constellations?" I asked her then and she looked up at the sky again.

"Yes, but I won't start talking about it cause you're gonna leave me." She told me and I chuckled.

"I won't, I promise." I said and Brittany sighed, letting herself fall on the ground.

"Well, Scorpius is a summertime constellation and the most easy to recognize." She started softly and I laid on the ground too and looked up at the sky. Brittany brought up her hand that wasn't holding mine and showed me the constellation which I knew already. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to recognize it so fast. "In Greek mythology Scorpius represents the actual scorpion that killed the giant hunter Orion. A myth says that Orion is still afraid of him, that's why the Orion constellation is at the opposite side of the sky." She said. Her voice was so soft and sweet, it was like she was creating honey by speaking. I wanted to hear her talk forever. "Another myth says that after Zeus had made Scorpius and Orion constellations, he commanded the one to rise when the other set." She whispered.

"Why did he want to kill him though?" I asked her because I wanted her to keep talking.

"A myth says that Apollo, the god of music, sent him. Because Apollo didn't want Orion and Artemis to connect erotically. Orion was mortal and Artemis was an immortal goddess." She answered.

"That's judgmental." I mumbled and Brittany chuckled. "You know so much about Greek mythology." I whispered impressed.

"Well, I know about the Olympian gods too." She said and I hummed so she would continue. "I know that you're like Zeus, stealing everybody's thunder just by entering a room." She said softly and I chuckled.

"Like what Rachel did to Monica?" I asked referring to the TV show 'Friends' and Brittany chuckled.

"Yes. You're also like Apollo, having the most beautiful voice that I've ever heard." She continued.

"Britt." I whined.

"What?" She asked innocently and I groaned.

"You're mocking me." I said pointedly. Brittany let go of my hand and turned on her side so she could lean down to kiss me.

"I'm not." She whispered then against my lips and I grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down so I could kiss her again. But Brittany didn't let the kiss last for long. "Let me finish." She said and I pouted.

"Ok." I said and Brittany gave me one last kiss before falling on her back again. She took a deep breath.

"You're like Ares, because I remember someone once told me that a trial is like a war. And you're like the goddess of war in the courtroom. Fierce and fearless. I think that's when I admitted to myself that I liked you. Actually I knew that from the first moment that I saw you. I just couldn't believe that a person I didn't even know was doing things to me that I couldn't understand." She whispered. My heart fluttered inside my chest at Brittany's confession.

"Britt." I sighed.

"And finally, you're like Aphrodite. The goddess of desire, love, lust and beauty. I think that you're the most beautiful human being on earth at this moment. And I feel like I'm the luckiest human being on earth because you're here. With me." She said softly and I turned my head to find her watching the sky. I turned on my side and grabbed her chin to turn her to face me and kissed her. She couldn't keep saying all those things and expect me to not react. It was probably the first time that Brittany said all those things to me. "Santana." Brittany pulled back and sighed. I hummed to let her know that I heard her and started kissing her neck, tasting her skin and feeling her heartbeats increasing every time my lips would touch her pulse point. I knew she was going to say something serious, since she used my full name. "This isn't casual for me." She whispered.

"This isn't casual for me either." I immediately said and pulled back from her neck to look down to see that she was biting her bottom lip. I wondered why she would think that. "Is it about the other day and that beer game and what I said? Cause it doesn't mean anything if I had fuck buddies and cheated on people and never had a serious relationship. I mean you had a serious relationship for four years with Sam, I know that. But because I didn't have one doesn't mean I can't have one. It's just that I've never met anyone who was worth it." I ranted and Brittany covered my mouth with her hand so I would stop talking.

"I suddenly don't know how I feel about you knowing so much about Sam." She mumbled and I snorted pulling back from her hand. I supported my weight on my elbow and my head on my hand so I could look at the blonde.

"I think it's kinda late now to think about that, Britt." I commented and she shrugged.

"Well, anyway. I didn't lie when I said that I've never meant it when I said 'I love you' to someone that I was in a relationship with. I mean four years is a lot but…" Brittany trailed off looking at the sky.

"But what?" I prompted and she sighed.

"I wasn't in love with Sam. It was just easy being with him. He knew everything about me already and he didn't want to talk about it." She said and I frowned.

"So I'm difficult to be with?" I asked.

"That's not what I meant. You're different, you make me _want _to tell you. And I did tell you." She whispered and I sighed. "And I didn't mean you can't have a serious relationship, San. I was like that too before Ali. But I have her now and I can't fool around anymore. So I had to tell you that." She told me.

"I can understand that." I mumbled. My free hand went on Brittany's hip and pulled her body on me, tangling our legs together. "I love that kid. You know that, right?" I asked her and she nodded at me. Just then something occurred to me. "Britt, is this a date?" I dared to whisper.

"What is a date, anyway?" Brittany wondered in the same tone. I shrugged.

"I think date is when you and me are at the same place the same time, talking with our lips really really really close to each other's." I said and with every word I leaned a little more towards her.

"Then I guess we're on a date." Brittany whispered against my lips before kissing me.

I immediately sucked her pierced bottom lip with mine. Brittany's hands went in my hair while my free hand traced the sliver of skin that appeared between her tank top and jeans that she wore. I felt Brittany licking my upper lip and I opened my mouth to welcome her tongue with mine. I moaned at the sensation and shifted so I was fully on top of the blonde, my leg between hers. The kiss was becoming more and more heated and I pressed my thigh against Brittany's center, causing her to moan.

"San." She breathed and pulled back so she could catch her breath. I let my hands disappear under Brittany's tank top and I felt her abs tensing because of my touch. I couldn't think of anything else at that moment, I just hoped that she wouldn't stop me again. I slid my hands up until I reached the start of her bra and felt Brittany letting out a shaky breath. "Santana." She said and grabbed my upper arms to push me away from her. I leaned my weight on my elbows and looked down at her.

"You're killing me, Britt." I sighed. I didn't know where this possessiveness had come from, I just wanted to finally make the blonde mine.

"Let's go home." She told me.

"But Britt." I started to protest but she didn't let me.

"We're in public, let's go home." She said again and kissed me heatedly for a few seconds, letting me know that we would continue this at home. And so I reluctantly got up from Brittany and helped her stand up too, before leaving the lot.

We decided to take a cab and go at my apartment. If you could see Brittany you would understand what nervousness meant. We were sitting in the cab and Brittany kept playing with her fingers on her lap nervously, her tongue playing with her piercing. I covered her hands with one of my own, causing her to turn to me.

"Am I pushing you?" I asked her and she immediately shook her head 'no'. I sighed. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do." I mumbled and Brittany freed her hands from mine and cupped my cheeks.

"I want to though, I want you so much." She told me and kissed me forcefully, causing me to breath sharply through my nose in surprise. But then I relaxed in the kiss, because Brittany made it obvious that she wanted this as much as I wanted it.

…

"Will you relax already?" I asked the blonde while opening the door of my apartment. She kept shifting uncomfortably even while walking.

"Are you mad?" She asked me and I sighed.

"Of course not, baby. Let's just go to sleep." I said and grabbed her hand and tugged her so she would follow me in my bedroom. I told her that I wouldn't push her, but that didn't mean that I didn't want to sleep with her in the same bed. When we got to my bedroom Brittany closed the door and pushed me against it, causing me to gasp in surprise.

"I said I fucking want you, San." She said not looking at me, her whole body leaning against mine. "I'm just…I don't know." She shrugged and finally made eye-contact again. "It's just been a really long time for me." She said and I nodded slowly. I knew that, it had been four years, since before Alice was born.

"I know that." I whispered. I slid my hands on her lower back and let my thumbs disappear under her tank top and rub her skin. "Let's remind you how it's done then." I said teasingly and the blonde groaned. She tried to get away from me but I didn't let her by tightening my arms around her waist. "Kiss me." I told her and watched her eyes as they couldn't decide where they wanted to settle, on my lips or my eyes. But Brittany finally made her decision and leaned in to connect our lips. And I made my decision too, that I would make that night all about her.

I kissed her softly for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of her whole body and lips against mine. She was letting out soft sexy sounds, causing me to want to take off her clothes. And so I did. I grabbed the hem of her tank top and brought it up and over her head. We pulled apart from the kiss so Brittany would be able to raise her arms and help me. I threw her top on the floor and turned to admire her flower tattoo that she had on the right of her chest. I leaned forward and left small soft kisses on it, causing the blonde to take a deep breath. I pushed the strap of her bra away from the tattoo at the same time that Brittany brought her hands up in my hair.

"San." Brittany breathed as I pushed her bra further down and sucked on the flesh on top of her right breast. She brought her hands from my hair to the hem of my top and tugged until I leaned back and let her take it off me. But I didn't let her look at me for long. I slid my hands on her back all the way up until I reached her bra and unclasped it. I leaned back to let it fall to the ground and stared at the newly found skin. Small pale breasts and pink nipples. My right hand went on a black dragon the same time my full lips were wrapped around a pink nipple. I sucked and licked and nibbled on it, causing Brittany to be a trembling mess against me. When she brought her hands up to my hair again I pulled back and immediately went to give the same attention to her other nipple. Brittany tugged my head so she could kiss me. So I blew on a wet nipple, causing Brittany to shiver, before claiming her mouth again.

My hands wandered all over Brittany's torso. They explored the contours of her perfect body, her hips, her ribcage, her abs, before they finally settled on round supple flesh. I grabbed and knead her breasts, causing her to moan and breathe ever more hard than before.

"Baby, please." Brittany breathed shakily, pulling back from the kiss. Her hands left my hair and slid down over my chest and stomach until they reached the top of my jeans. "Take these off." She said and unbuttoned my jeans. But I covered her hands with my own and took off my pants and shoes by myself, before doing the same to her. Brittany took off her jeans, revealing gloriously long legs and an imposing tiger on her left thigh. I stared at her body and admired the masterpieces that were her tattoos, feeling special and proud because Brittany trusted me enough to tell me the story behind them. I felt Brittany's hands trying to unclasp my bra and I immediately helped her do it, leaving us both in boy shorts panties.

My fingers traced the hemline of Brittany's underwear and I leaned forward to kiss her chest. I left several kisses there before I made my way down her stomach and abs with open-mouthed kisses. I crouched down in front of her and hooked my fingers on the sides of her underwear and looked up at her for permission. When she nodded at me I tugged the cloth down her long legs, making myself dizzy when I smelled Brittany's distinctive aroma.

I threw the item away and leaned in to kiss her tiger tattoo, my hands on the back of her thighs. I made my way up her left side kissing her dragon too before standing up completely and connecting her pierced lips with mine again. I moaned at the feeling of her skin against mine, breasts against breasts and lips against lips. I pulled back from her mouth and grabbed her hand to tug her with me towards the bed. I kneeled on it and sat on my haunches in the middle of the bed and watched as the blonde got nervous again. She was standing completely naked right in front of me and I felt my heart starting to beat faster.

"Baby, come here." I said softly and the blonde swallowed thickly before kneeling on the bed and coming to meet me in the middle. I grabbed her waist and tugged her until she was straddling my left thigh. The blonde gasped in surprise before moaning in pleasure, at the same time I felt her wetness on my thigh. My lips immediately went on her neck and sucked on her pulse point, feeling her heartbeats increasing. I bit her there causing her to hiss and then I licked the spot to soothe it. Brittany put her hands on my hips and pulled our bodies even closer to each other's. She hooked her fingers on my boy shorts and pulled back to frown at me.

"Get it off." She said but I grabbed her hands and brought them up to wrap them around my neck.

"Tonight's about you." I whispered at her and leaned in to kiss her before she could say anything. I was sure that if I was to feel Brittany's skin where I wanted her the most I wouldn't be able to control myself. My hands went on her hips and pulled so she would rub her wet folds against my thigh.

"Fuck." She breathed pulling back from my lips and she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. My hands slid from her hips down to her ass and kept pushing her against me, causing her to be a moaning trembling mess. Her hot breaths were hitting my skin causing me to shiver and my heart to start beating faster inside my chest. Brittany kept grinding herself on me, getting more and more wet. The sounds she was making caused me to get wet too. But I ignored it because I had said that that night was about my favorite blonde.

I slid my hands on the back of her thighs, and under her ass, to grab her inner thighs and spread her even more, causing her to moan loudly and her thighs to tremble. Her wetness was practically running down my thigh and on the sheets, making me want to taste her.

"Just touch me already." Brittany grunted in my ear and I pulled back to see her frowning angrily. I would laugh if I wasn't so turned on because even at that moment she found something to get angry at.

"Touch yourself." I said back and she groaned at me. I smirked and leaned down to suck a pink nipple in my mouth, still pushing her wet folds on me. But Brittany didn't let me enjoy that for long because she cupped my cheeks and tugged me up so she could kiss me.

"Baby, please." She pleaded after she pulled back. She was breathing heavily and her cheeks were red.

"Do it." I told her firmly and stopped all my movements. Brittany whined. She wrapped her left arm around my neck and brought her right hand down to her center. I let her touch herself for a few seconds but before she could get any pleasure from it I grabbed her wrist and brought her hand up to my mouth. I looked in her eyes to find her looking back at me and I sucked her fingers, moaning at the sweet but also tangy and salty taste. I licked her fingers clean, my eyes never leaving hers, and Brittany bit her pierced bottom lip. "You taste fucking amazing." I commented, causing the blonde to lean in and kiss me passionately, immediately putting her tongue in my mouth. She moaned at the taste of herself and wrapped her other arm around my neck too.

"San, please baby. I need you." She told me pleadingly. I decided that four years were enough to wait so I kissed her again and my left hand finally went down to touch her wet folds. We both moaned at the feeling, Brittany was so wet and warm and soft. I explored her for a while before rubbing small circles on her clit, causing pale thighs to tremble and soft moans to escape pink lips.

"You feel so good." I breathed and started kissing her neck again. Brittany tilted her head to the side to give me more skin available. I was careful not to get any hickeys on her flower tattoo, I didn't know if it could be ruined or not. My fingers were still exploring her most sensitive area, causing the blonde to breathe harder. I let my middle finger to dip inside her knuckle deep before pulling out and going up to her clit again. I repeated the same moves a few times causing the blonde to groan frustrated.

"You're fucking teasing me." She grunted against my ear and my lips left her neck and went back down to a perky breast. I licked around the flesh before engulfing a pink nipple in my mouth. Brittany tightened her arms around my neck and arched her chest against my mouth. All the while my middle finger kept teasing the blonde by entering only to the first knuckle and then going to rub her clit again. "Fuck, let it inside." Brittany moaned angrily and I decided to obey.

My right hand went on her lower back the same time that I inserted two fingers inside the blonde's tight hole. She cried out in pleasure and covered my hand that was on her sex with her own. I started thrusting inside of her, the heel of my palm hitting her clit and causing her to let out sounds that were between moans and groans. It was a special experience for me to watch the blonde lose herself in pleasure like that, and knowing that I was the one that caused her such satisfaction, made a sense of pride to settle into me.

Brittany let go of my hand and cupped my cheeks to kiss me sloppily. I hardened my thrusts, my right arm helped me to keep her in place and push her harder against my left hand. The blonde pulled back for air and wrapped her arms around my neck again. She focused on meeting my thrusts and I was glad that she wasn't holding herself back. That she took advantage of the pleasure that I was giving her and tried to feel it to the fullest. After a particular thrust I hit a spongy spot inside the blonde that caused her to moan loudly and her walls to clench, like she was trying to keep me there.

"Don't s-stop." She said between her heavy breathing. I focused on keep hitting that spot again and again until the blonde's movements started to get sloppy. Our torsos were easily sliding against each other's because of the sweat that appeared on our bodies. I could tell that she was close to coming because her thrusts increased, causing me to increase my hand movements too. She was breathing unevenly and being a trembling moaning mess in my arms. "San, I'm coming." She managed to let out. I felt her walls clenching tightly around my fingers and trapping me inside of her and I pulled back just in time to watch her still frozen with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open.

After a few seconds she started shaking, her face the pure definition of pleasure as she cried out in ecstasy. The sight in front of me was the most beautiful and mesmerizing thing that I had ever seen. Brittany coming undone was like a miracle happening right in front of my eyes. But I didn't slow down my thrusts, quickly building her high again and causing her to have another orgasm. The blonde with the little energy that she was left with covered my hand with her own again.

"Too fucking sensitive." She managed to say. I slowed down my thrusts and gently brought her down from her high. She was breathing heavily and her cheeks were hot. She collapsed in my arms and I slowly pulled my fingers out of her and helped her lie on the bed, wiping my fingers on the sheets. I settled between long legs, leaning on my elbows, and kissed all over her chest, waiting for Brittany to catch her breath.

"That was the most intense orgasm that I've ever had." She told me after a while. "Or two." She added and I hummed. If I wasn't feeling proud of myself before, I certainly did when she told me that. I continued leaving kisses on her chest and around her flower tattoo.

"Can this be ruined with hickeys, cause I was afraid it might bruise." I mumbled and kissed the flower.

"Oh honey, you could never bruise my dignity." She told me softly and brought her arms around my back to hug me. I smiled against her skin and my heart fluttered at the double meaning. I leaned up and kissed her softly for a few minutes before pulling back again. "It bruises like every other part of the body and then it disappears again." She explained then. I nodded before giving her one last kiss on the lips and started kissing down her body and her dragon tattoo. Just then something occurred to me.

"Didn't this get ruined when you were pregnant?" I asked the blonde while my fingers traced the dragon.

"After I lost the pregnancy weight Jenna fixed it. Now the dragon's like three times bigger than before." She told me and I hummed. I leaned down and kissed the majestic dragon again, I honestly couldn't get enough of Brittany's skin against my lips. "Can you tell?" Brittany asked me then and I quickly shook my head.

"No. It's great, amazing, very very beautiful." I said and Brittany chuckled.

"Subtle, babe." She said and I rolled my eyes. I was fascinated with those art pieces and I wasn't hiding it at all. I kept kissing down her body and her tiger tattoo, admiring her soft skin. I kneeled on the bed between the blonde's legs and made my way all the way down her long leg, before repeating it on her other leg. "Come here." Brittany told me.

"Not now." I answered and Brittany huffed but let me worship her body anyway. I made my way up her inner thigh until I reached her most intimate area. I knew she was sensitive but she was also wet, so I couldn't resist to taste her again, careful to avoid her clit.

"Oh my fucking god." Brittany immediately reacted by closing her thighs and trapping my head there. I chuckled against her and she whimpered. "Baby, please." She told me and I sighed. I licked her slit one last time, causing her to moan softly, before going up the bed again.

I settled between her legs again and Brittany cupped my cheeks and pulled me in for a heated kiss. She moaned again when she tasted herself and sighed when she pulled back. I let myself fall completely on top of her, my cheek resting on her chest. Brittany's hands were playing with my hair and mine were resting by her sides. The only thing that I could hear was the blonde's heartbeats that had returned to normal.

"San?" Brittany called after a while. Maybe after a few seconds or even minutes. I was too busy enjoying being in her arms to know. I hummed to let her know that I was listening. "Are you my girlfriend?" She asked me and I sighed.

"Well, do you want me to be?" I asked, not looking up at her.

"Well, do you want to be?" She asked me back and I snorted.

"Who doesn't?" I wondered. Brittany stopped playing with my hair and rested her hands on my back.

"I can give you a few names." She told me and I immediately looked up.

"Don't." I said frowning. I definitely didn't want to hear any of those names while we were in my bed naked and after such an amazing experience. Brittany arched her eyebrows at me. "Yes." I told her then.

"Do you want to?" She asked me for confirmation.

"Yes." I said again. The blonde smiled softly at me and I smiled back before leaning down to connect our lips. If I said I was happy, it would be an understatement. I was ecstatic. I finally made Brittany mine physically but also officially too. I felt proud because I got to call her _my _girlfriend and because she was hugging me like she never wanted to let me go.

I shuffled on the bed so I was lying next to her and tugged so she would turn around.

"I want to hold you." I told her and she gave me one last kiss before turning on her side. I shuffled closer to her back, my left arm going around her waist and on her stomach, my fingers entwined with hers. Brittany mumbled 'goodnight' and I kissed the back of her neck and shoulder before saying it back. I was sure that that night I would get the best sleep of my life, because I had everything I wanted in my arms. Brittany.

* * *

A.N.: That was the first time that I wrote a sex scene in English so let me know what you think.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

Warning: Sexual themes.

* * *

I woke up to hot even breaths hitting the back of my neck. I wondered why, instead of waking up with Brittany in my arms, it was the opposite. But I loved being in Brittany's arms just the same, feeling her bare skin on mine, our legs tangled together and her arm around my waist. The heat radiating from her body caused me to want to stay in her warm embrace forever.

I had probably fallen asleep because I woke up again to soft kisses on my shoulders and shoulder blades. I hummed and shuffled back against Brittany and she tightened her arm around me.

"Honey, wake up." She whispered against my skin, causing goosebumps to rise on my arms. I groaned, rubbing my face and turned around to face my favorite blonde. "Good morning." She said and smiled softly at me.

"Definitely good." I mumbled and leaned in to connect our lips.

Although I had always focused on my pleasure with previous sexual partners, I wouldn't change a single thing from the night before. Brittany was a lot more than just a sexual partner to me, I felt like I had connected with her on a higher level and I was pretty sure I would be fine with spending the rest of my life making her feel good. I felt like the blonde was giving a gift to me by allowing me to do that.

I pulled back from the kiss and sighed. We stayed silent for a while but when I noticed the blonde zoning out I spoke up.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked her and she looked into my eyes again.

"Does our relationship guarantee a long term commitment?" She asked me and I stared at her. "I need a proof. Some verifiable, empirical data." She added. I didn't think it was too soon to have 'that' conversation, we had already made it clear that this wasn't casual for either of us. I understood what she was really asking though and I answered in the same language.

"Thank god I'm smart enough to understand that." I said to tease her but she was still looking at me seriously. I sighed. "How big is the universe?" I asked.

"Infinite." She answered.

"How do you know?" I asked her.

"I know because all the data indicate it." She said.

"But it hasn't been proven yet." I stated and she shook her head 'no'. "You haven't seen it." I added and she shook her head again. "Then how do you know for sure?" I wondered.

"I don't, I just believe it." She whispered and I nodded. I watched her face as she realized what I was really telling her.

"It's the same with us." I said with the same tone.

"Do you believe that?" She asked me and I nodded confidently. I wondered how I could not believe that. I was in love with her, I had never felt like that and I was sure I would do anything for Brittany and for her daughter.

Brittany was watching me with her expressive eyes. Beautiful blue eyes full of trust and honesty and vulnerability. She shuffled closer to me and brought her hand up to trace my jaw line and lips. She smiled softly at me and I swallowed thickly, feeling my heartbeats increasing.

"You have to be real." She said quietly, looking at her finger that was on my lips. I reached up to take her hand in mine, kissed it, and then guided her hand towards my chest, so she could feel at what crazy pace my heart was beating.

"This happens whenever you're around. Whenever you talk to me, look at me, touch me. Even when I'm just thinking of you." I said and Brittany swallowed thickly. "I'm definitely real. I'm a real number. I'm rational too. And positive. I'm a real positive rational number. Is that possible?" I wondered, having no idea if those numbers existed. Brittany just nodded at me.

"Thank you." She told me.

"For what?" I wondered.

"For coming to my life when I needed it the most." She said, making my heart skip a beat. She pushed me so I would turn on my back and settled on top of me, making me let out a shaky breath when I felt her bare breasts against mine. "I've never been so close with anyone. I'm so thankful for you." She whispered and let her hands slide up my sides, over my ribcage and the sides of my breasts, causing me to swallow thickly at her intentions. "And I want to show you that." She whispered and started kissing my neck while her knee spread my legs apart and she fell between them.

"Uh Britt, you don't have to…" I trailed off. She started sucking at my pulse point, causing my heartbeats to increase, and my hands settled on her bare back, feeling her soft skin.

"I want to. I've wanted you for a long time." She whispered and started leaving small soft kisses on my jaw line until she reached my lips. "I'm sorry I didn't show that before. Let me do that now." She said but before I could say that she didn't have to be sorry, that I understood her reasons and that she didn't have to prove anything to me, she leaned in and connected our lips, effectively sucking the air out of my lungs.

Brittany's hands explored my torso, my ribcage, my hipbones, my stomach, causing me to tense and relax because of her touch. She pulled back from the kiss and started kissing down my neck and chest and collarbone before wrapping her pink lips around my nipple, while her other hand went to squeeze my other breast. I gasped in surprise and moaned at the feeling. My bent knees closed to trap her where she was, while my hands went in her hair. I arched my chest towards Brittany's mouth and started breathing faster when I felt her piercing on my nipple, not expecting to get any pleasure from it.

"Fuck, Britt." I breathed while she went to suck and lick and nibble on my other nipple too. I could feel myself getting wet, causing me to not be able to think anything else but Brittany's mouth on me. I couldn't even think if her piercing could hurt either her or me, I just lost myself in that pleasurable feeling, that intensified when Brittany's hips pushed against mine in the best way possible, causing me to moan softly.

She pulled back from my breast, causing me to whimper in protest and kneeled on the bed between my legs, before she hooked her fingers at the sides of the underwear that I was wearing. She tugged them down my legs before I could say anything, effectively making me even more wet at her sudden forcefulness.

She spread my knees again and settled between them, her face only a few inches from my center, making me feel self-conscious and extremely exposed in front of her. She started kissing and sucking my inner thigh, slowly making her way towards my center, causing me to breathe out shakily. I could feel her hot breath hitting me where I wanted her the most but she ignored that and started kissing and sucking on my other thigh too. I put the heel of my palms over my eyes and tried to ignore the fact that Brittany could see how wet I was for her but she decided to do nothing about it and just tease me.

"Britt." I started to ask her to come back up to me but just then she licked my slit, from my entrance all the way up to my clit, automatically making me jerk and moan at the feeling. My nervousness vanished and was replaced with arousal instead and the blonde put her arms under my thighs and grabbed my waist so I would stay still. She moaned against me when she tasted me, the vibrations sending shivers all over my body.

Her tongue was exploring my wet folds, circling my clit and then dipping the tip just inside my tight hole. I moaned again and leaned my weight on my elbows so I could look at what the blonde was doing to me. But I didn't think there was anything I could do to prepare myself for the effect that this sight would have on me. I got wetter when I saw Brittany between my legs, tasting me. I let myself fall on the mattress again, if I was to watch her for another second I would come right then and there. Just then she went to suck on my clit and I moaned loudly when her piercing made contact with the sensitive bundle of nerves.

"That's fucking amazing!" I exclaimed. My knees trembled and spread further, making myself even more exposed to her. I wanted to touch her, to grab her head and keep her there. But I didn't know if she would like that so I bit the back of my hand to keep my composure and not risk doing anything that would cause the blonde to stop.

"Do you like that?" Brittany asked me and I whined because she pulled back to talk to me.

"Don't stop." I immediately said so she would go back. And she did go back to my clit and kept sucking and teasing me with her piercing, making me moan. Until I couldn't handle it anymore. "Fuck, Britt." I said and looked down at her to find her looking back at me. I slowly brought my hands down to her hair, like I was testing the waters, but when she didn't even flinch I relaxed again. My heart skipped a beat when we kept the eye-contact, I had never felt so close and connected with anyone and I had never been so comfortable with this level of intimacy. "Come here." I said between my fast breathing and watched as the blonde left my center and made her way to me again.

She kissed me and I moaned when I tasted myself in her mouth, getting more wet. I moaned louder when Brittany started exploring my wet folds with her long fingers. I put my arms around her back and hugged her tightly, needing to feel her as close to me as possible. She leaned her weight on her elbow while her other hand inserted a long finger inside of me. I cried out in pleasure and arched my back, trying to get as much friction as possible. She curled her finger, hitting my cervix, and trying to find my special spot. And when she did I moaned loudly.

"Right there." I said shakily. I whimpered when she pulled out her finger but she immediately put back in two fingers and started hitting my special spot repeatedly, causing me to be a trembling moaning mess beneath her.

I completely surrendered to Brittany, I couldn't form words to describe what she was doing to me, how amazing I felt. I gave myself to her, all I could do was to feel the pleasure she was causing me. All I could do was to moan and breathe unevenly and try messily to meet her thrusts. I could feel myself getting closer to that point of absolute bliss.

"Come for me, baby." Brittany breathed against my ear and reached down to wrap her soft pierced lips around my hard nipple, all the while still thrusting into me. Her hardened thrusts and the sensation of the piercing and the sucking on my nipple, pushed me over the edge.

I stilled frozen and then shook in pleasure, crying out Brittany's name. All that tension that was building up inside of me, from the moment that I had met Brittany, left me. I was left with falling more in love with that person that was on top of me, that made me feel special and unique. I was left with the realization that after this moment I would need the blonde in my life for the rest of it. But it didn't scare me. It didn't scare me because Brittany went back to kissing me. She kissed me heatedly, trying to convey that she felt the same way.

Brittany slowed down her thrusts and gently pulled out her fingers, leaving me breathless and panting. She wrapped both her arms around me and hugged me tightly, hiding her face to the crook of my neck.

"I'm falling for you." I blurted out after a while. Only when Brittany tensed against me I realized what I had said. But before I could think of something to cover it she interrupted me like she could read my thoughts.

"Please don't take it back." She said pleadingly against my neck and relaxed again. I let out a long breath and brought my arms around her too and hugged her tightly. I sighed and kissed the side of her head, feeling satisfied and happy that she didn't freak out.

We stayed like that, completely tangled together for a while. I had never felt so completed and whole in my entire life. The blonde had fallen asleep because I could feel Brittany's even breath on my neck, causing me to shiver. But someone knocked on the front door, causing me to groan silently.

I grabbed my phone from the night stand to see that it was nine in the morning on a Saturday. I sighed and reluctantly disentangled myself from Brittany, careful not to wake her up. I got up from the bed and turned around to find my girlfriend sleeping in all her naked glory. I thought to myself that I would never get over how beautiful she was.

I wore shorts and a tank top and put a pair of clothes on the bed for Brittany too before leaving my bedroom and going to open the door.

"Mami." I acknowledged and stepped to the side to let Maribel come in. She looked me up and down causing me to frown before going in the kitchen. I sighed and closed the door before following her. "Good morning to you too." I mumbled.

"Good morning?" She wondered while she started making coffee. The thing about my mother was that although she was whining, she always made me coffee so I would be awake to hear her. "Do you know what time _I _woke up and how many chores I did until now?" She asked me while I was getting a sit at the table. But I didn't answer, I was too busy trying to block out the thoughts of what _I _was doing. Or who. Or who was doing me. But when she gave me a mug with coffee I smiled gratefully at her before taking it. I took a sip and then looked up to see why my mother was silent, and I found her staring at me.

"What?" I asked defensively although I didn't know what I was defending myself from.

"Back in my day men didn't want women who woke up at noon and didn't know how to cook." She told me while getting a sit opposite me and I rolled my eyes.

"Thank god I don't need a man in any aspect of my life then." I said and took another sip from my coffee.

"And thank god that you have such a cool mom." She added making me grunt my agreement. "I think I'm the coolest of all my friends back in Lima, maybe now I'll make more cool friends." She said and I nodded my head. It must had been difficult for her to leave her life in Lima and start a new one in New York. But obviously Maribel hadn't lost her sense of humor.

"You're the coolest mom I've ever had." I told her and looked up to see her frowning at me.

"I'm the only one." She told me pointedly and I shrugged smiling. "So Santanita, can you help a friend?" She asked me then and I arched an eyebrow. "She cheated on her husband and now he wants a divorce and the house and the custody of the children and she needs a lawyer." She said and I rolled my eyes.

"What friend do you have who has children under eighteen?" I wondered and Maribel shrugged.

"You know I'm really sociable." She said and I nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Give Marley's number to her." I said, not really paying much attention to it. I was dealing with cases like those every day. Maribel nodded at me and looked at the clock on the wall.

"So what time is Brittany gonna wake up? Should I make you something to eat?" She asked me, causing me to widen my eyes. I stared at her, not sure how she knew that Brittany was here. Maribel rolled her eyes. "Go wake her up and I'll make something." She finally said and stood up.

"No need, I'm up and I don't eat in the mornings." A sweet voice said and when I turned around I couldn't help but smile at how perfect Brittany looked. She was wearing my clothes and my heart skipped a bit at the fact, an effect Brittany was having on me but I certainly didn't have a problem with it.

"That's not healthy at all, mija." Maribel said and went to hug the blonde. Brittany shrugged after she pulled back from my mother's embrace and came to sit next to me. Maribel went to my empty fridge.

"Mija means daughter?" Brittany whispered at me and I swallowed thickly.

"It's slang for my daughter." I explained and Brittany nodded biting her bottom lip. I didn't know if the blonde liked it when my mother called her that. What I knew was that Maribel wasn't going to stop calling her that, especially since she knew that Brittany had lost her parents.

"You're thirty and you don't even know how to go grocery shopping?" Maribel wondered while she started shuffling around the kitchen.

"I am not thirty!" I protested loudly, causing Brittany to chuckle and my mother to click her tongue.

"Twenty-eight or thirty, it's the same thing." She said in English but then turned the conversation in Spanish. "_When I was your age I had an eight-year old._" She said and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I know. Can you speak in English?" I asked pointedly and she looked at me challengingly.

"When are you gonna have kids? You're not getting any younger." She said and looked at me expectantly. I huffed at her and looked at the blonde next to me who had her lips sucked in her mouth and not looking at me. I turned back to Maribel to see that she was trying to hide a smirk.

"She has Ali." Brittany said then and I turned to her again to see her shrugging like it wasn't a big deal. But it was a big deal to me. I quickly looked to find Maribel having her back to us so I cupped my girlfriend's cheeks and tugged her so I could quickly kiss her and then pulled back again.

"Really? Are you two finally together?" Maribel asked.

"Yes." Brittany answered and my mother clicked her tongue.

"Thank god." She mumbled and I rolled my eyes. My mother kept cooking something, having her back to us so Brittany leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Do you think now that you're here is a good time to tell her about my old job?" She asked me and I arched my eyebrows in surprise because I had totally forgotten about that. But then I just nodded. Brittany nodded too, as if to give herself courage and turned to face my mother again. "Mrs. Lopez?" She called and Maribel snorted.

"I told you a thousand times, call me Maribel." My mother said, sounding bored. But finished what she was doing and turned around to face us.

"I have to get used to it, I guess." Brittany shrugged and Maribel smiled while nodding her head. "So…" She trailed off then and looked at me. I nodded at her encouragingly and she sighed. Maribel was looking between us but she finally settled her gaze on my girlfriend. "You like me, right?" The blonde asked and I arched my eyebrows in curiosity. She definitely started with an interesting way.

"Oh honey, if I wasn't married and you were just a few years older and you weren't my daughter's girlfriend I'd definitely hit on you." Maribel immediately said, causing me to choke on nothing.

"Mami!" I exclaimed and she looked at me like nothing was wrong.

"What? It's not like it's the first time I'm being the object of desire of a woman, Santanita." She said and my eyes widened. "But I'm married, so…" She trailed off and I stared at her, blinking a couple of times.

"It's not like she's ugly, or old, or anything." Brittany added and I turned to glare at her. She held up her hands defensively at me and I huffed. The last thing I wanted was to hear my mother talking about stuff like that. "So anyway, that's not what I meant." Brittany told my mother and Maribel smiled understandingly.

"Of course, dear. Santanita's just easy to tease." She said and I rolled my eyes. "Why are you asking me though?" Maribel asked and smiled like she knew why but she was asking anyway. Brittany swallowed thickly and looked down at her hands that were clasped on the table.

"There's something you have to know about me." Brittany started and Maribel nodded, waiting patiently for the blonde to continue. I put my hand on my girlfriend's thigh to remind her that I was there and she finally made eye-contact with my mother. "Before I came to New York, nine years ago, I was a prostitute." She said. Maribel was staring at her and Brittany was staring back. I couldn't understand their emotions. But then my mother smiled and came around the table to cup Brittany's cheeks. She was looking at her proudly and then she leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Thank you for telling me." Maribel said when she pulled back. "It must've been hard. But you're so strong, I'm so glad you're in our lives now. Maybe you could teach a lesson or two to that one." She said and gestured towards me. I huffed at her and she smiled. She came to me and kissed my forehead too.

"If Santana wasn't strong we wouldn't be together now." Brittany said, making my heart skip several beats. I took her hand in mine and brought it up to my lips to kiss it, causing her to smile her perfect smile at me.

"I'm so happy for you two." Maribel said and patted both of our shoulders. "Let's eat." She exclaimed then and went back to her cooking.

…

After we had eaten Maribel left, telling me to go over their house later because my uncle wanted to talk to me. Then she had told Brittany how proud she was of her. And it seemed like it meant a lot to the blonde, because she hugged Maribel tightly and thanked her. And I was really happy that my mother was fine with it, it wasn't like I had doubts. But it was good to know for sure. I figured Maribel was giving me enough happiness to balance out my father's cold behavior.

We were sitting next to each other on the couch in silence. Brittany was playing with her piercing and I did my best to forget what that piercing could do to me.

"I have a legal question." Brittany told me after a while and I looked at her expectantly. "Maybe you'll be kind enough to answer this without charging me." She said teasingly.

"Sorry babe, no can do." I answered and the blonde rolled her eyes, causing me to smirk at her. "So what is it?" I asked.

"What happens if I die?" She asked me and I snorted at her random question. "That was the sexiest sound ever." She added teasingly and I rolled my eyes. My voice was always more raspy when I woke up and the sound that I made was probably not sexy at all. "Seriously though." She said and I frowned because she _was _serious.

"What do you mean?" I wondered.

"What happens to Ali if I die like tomorrow?" Brittany asked me and my eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? Why would you die tomorrow?" I asked and she sighed again.

"Hypothetically speaking." She said.

"Well, hypothetically speaking, if you die tomorrow then Sam gets her sole custody." I answered.

"What if my sister becomes her guardian?" She asked me.

"Legal guardians have no power over a biological parent. Especially Sam because as far as I know he doesn't have any criminal records, no drug problems and he's not abusive." I answered and Brittany bit her pierced bottom lip.

"What if Anna adopts her?" She asked me.

"She can't do that while you're still alive, Britt. And Sam has to agree with it and terminate his rights." I said and Brittany sighed. "Why are you asking me these things?" I asked.

"Because I want to know what will happen to my daughter if I die or something." She mumbled and I frowned.

"You won't die or something." I said and Brittany sighed.

"That's not what happened with my parents, San." She told me quietly and I pouted, although I still didn't know what happened to them. It made sense that Brittany was worried about her daughter.

"Hey, Ali has people in her life that care about her, Britt. She'll be fine." I said and the blonde nodded slowly at me.

"So, what happens if Sam wants to see Ali?" She asked me then and I shrugged.

"He'll contact you himself or maybe Blaine will. Depends on Sam." I answered.

"So I'm not your client anymore? You have nothing to do with it?" Brittany asked me.

"Well, I'm here if you need me, baby." I said and Brittany frowned.

"Need you for what?" She asked and I shrugged. "Say Blaine called and asked me to give the kid to Sam for the weekend. Do I need you now?" She asked me and my eyes widened. Sam didn't have the right to do that. He only had the right to see the kid once a week, only in front of Brittany.

"He did that?" I asked in alarm.

"Where do you think is Ali now?" She asked me.

"Are you fucking serious?" I asked her and she shook her head 'no', causing me to sigh in relief. It wouldn't be that weird if Blaine or fucking Sam did such thing.

"Who is this 'serious' person, anyway? I'm not cheating on you." She said and I stared at her. I thought I would never get used to the fact that this angel right in front of me chose to be my girlfriend.

"One day, I won't realize that you're kidding and I'll have a stroke or something." I mumbled and the blonde chuckled. "Seriously though, Britt. If he calls you, please tell me about it before you agree to anything, ok?" I asked and she frowned at me.

"I'm not stupid, San. I think I understand what his rights are." She said and I sighed.

"Alright, so that's the thing. _I _have the law degree here and when _I _am telling you to take advice from a lawyer before agreeing to something, you should do it. I've seen a lot of things doing this job, if you think that because we won the trial then everything is fine and want to risk your daughter then that's on you." I said and held my hands up in indifference. But I was definitely not indifferent. "I'm not saying this as your girlfriend. I'm telling you as a counselor. As your girlfriend I really don't have any say with what you do with your daughter." I said and Brittany bit her bottom lip, looking at me with an unreadable expression. "We have to distinguish these two." I whispered then. I didn't want what brought us together, Brittany being my client, to be what would bring us apart because of misunderstandings.

"Ok." Brittany nodded at me.

"You know what? Maybe you should find another lawyer, I'll find you one. I really don't want this to be a reason to fight with you." I sighed and Brittany immediately shook her head.

"Fuck no. I don't want anyone else. You're like the best lawyer and your mine. Why would I want anyone else?" She wondered, making my heart skip a beat at her possessiveness. "Plus, you know everything already and I don't trust anyone else with my daughter. And we won't fight, baby. I didn't really like it when you said that you don't have any say as my girlfriend. I trust you with her more than I trust my sister, although you probably don't even know what to feed the kid." She said teasingly and I rolled my eyes.

But my heart melted at what she told me, it meant so much to me that Brittany was including me in her daughter's life too, not just hers. So I leaned in and connected my lips with hers, trying to convey my gratitude and happiness.

…

In the afternoon Brittany had to leave and go pick her daughter up from her sister. So I got ready to go to my uncle's house. I didn't really want to face my father, but I decided that it was time to talk to him and see if he changed his opinion. Or if he changed at all.

I knocked on the door and waited for someone to open, wondering what my uncle wanted to talk to me about. The one that answered the door was Maribel.

"Come in." She told me and turned away to go in the kitchen. I closed the door and followed her. It seemed like she was cleaning the house.

"Where's everybody?" I wondered when I saw neither my father nor my uncle.

"Mario went to get some things from the grocery store, he'll be back any minute. Sit down." She said and gestured to the table. I took a sit and arched an eyebrow at her. "Antonio is still sleeping." She mumbled and I frowned.

"It's five in the afternoon." I said pointedly and Maribel shrugged. "He's still sleeping from the night before?" I asked and she nodded. "He's acting like a teenager now?" I asked, starting to feel the anger settling into me.

"He woke up in the morning to tell me that he was tired and that he'd stay in bed and then I left and came to you." Maribel said.

"He's tired of doing what?" I snapped but my mother didn't say anything. "Go wake him up." I frowned and my mother sighed before leaving the kitchen.

I ran a hand through my hair and let out a long breath. I didn't like what was happening, it only meant bad things, sleeping at this hour of the day.

After a few minutes Maribel came in the kitchen having a look of disbelief in her eyes. She was holding a piece of paper in one hand, her other hand covering her mouth.

"What's that?" I asked and gestured to what she was holding.

"He's gone."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

_After a few minutes Maribel came in the kitchen having a look of disbelief in her eyes. She was holding a piece of paper in one hand, her other hand covering her mouth._

"_What's that?" I asked and gestured to what she was holding._

"_He's gone."_

"What do you mean 'he's gone'?" I asked and stood up. I went to her and took the paper that she was holding and watched my mother as she slowly went to sit at the table. I frowned at her upset face and looked down to read what the paper said.

_I'm sorry,_

_The pressure was too much. I couldn't handle it anymore. So I left. I think it's the best for you and for me. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'm not strong enough to fight this monster that's been living inside of me for all these years. This monster that started to destroy not only myself but my family too. If I'm not with you, you won't have to sink with me._

_Maribel, please forgive me, my love. I love you, you have to know that. I'm doing this for you, you took care of me for so long, so I'm taking this weight off your shoulders. So you can live your life without the dark that comes with me._

_Santanita, mija, all I've always wanted was for you to be happy. I'm sorry I forced you to be happy according to my views. I'm truly sorry for what happened with Brittany, I hope she makes you happy, just like you deserve to be._

_Mario, you've always been like a brother to me. Thank you for everything you've done for me and please take care of my family._

_Antonio._

"I can't believe this." I mumbled and went to sit opposite Maribel. I was so tired of this situation, all I wanted was for the problem to be solved so we could all relax again. I wondered if Antonio was serious, believing that now that he was gone we would stop worrying about him. If it was that easy I would stop worrying a long time ago. I knew I should feel bad for thinking like that but I couldn't.

"What happened with Brittany?" Maribel asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see that she was looking at me frowning. She looked so tired and way older than she should. I sighed and rubbed my face in frustration, still not believing that Antonio left thinking that things would be better.

"I think it's better if she tells you herself." I said and my mother nodded slowly at me. Just then my uncle came in the kitchen. He smiled when he saw me and winked at me while he put the bags that he was holding on the counter.

"What's going on?" He asked when he saw my mother's still upset face. Maribel got up and started putting away the groceries. I sighed and gave the letter that I was still holding to my uncle. He frowned but took it and sat next to me to read it. He was shaking his head while reading and when he finished he sighed in frustration. He pulled out his phone and shuffled on it before bringing it to his ear. I frowned questioningly at him. "Matt." He told me.

I sighed and nodded. If someone might have an idea where Antonio could be, it would be Matt. I turned to look at Maribel to find her leaning against the counter and shaking her head. I stood and went to her while my uncle started telling Matt what happened.

"It'll be fine, we'll find him." I whispered at my mother and hugged her. But I didn't know if it would be fine when we would find him, I didn't even know _if_ we would find him. She hugged me back tightly and started crying.

"Why is he doing this to us?" She asked against my shoulder. But I didn't know what to say so I just rubbed her back comfortingly, getting more angry at my father for causing all these problems. I hated seeing my mother like that, it broke my heart.

"Maribel, calm down." Mario interrupted her crying and Maribel pulled back so she could turn to face her brother, while wiping her tears away. "Matt will come here and we'll go find him. Don't worry." He said and clicked his tongue.

"Does he know anything?" I asked and Mario shook his head.

"No. He told Antonio that he wouldn't come today, so Antonio probably planned for this." Mario sighed and I sighed too.

"I'll come with you." I said then and he frowned at me.

"You will not come with us." He said back.

"Yes, I will." I said and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"You won't, Santana. I don't even know what these places are." He said and looked at me pointedly.

"I don't care. I'm not a little girl." I frowned and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"I said you won't come with us." He told me again and I huffed.

"I want to! I feel like I'm sitting here doing nothing. The same happened about Lima too. It's so frustrating." I said angrily.

"I won't argue about this." He said dismissively. I groaned and went to protest but he stood up and frowned angrily at me. "You're angry, I'm angry, everybody's stressed out. When I'm telling you something, you'll listen to me, ok?" He asked me and I huffed at him. "Ok?" He asked louder and I finally nodded my head.

"Ok." I said bitterly and looked away from him and he sighed.

"I'll call you when we find him." He said more calmly. I nodded stiffly and turned to my mother.

"Are you gonna be ok?" I asked her. I really didn't want to be there if I couldn't do anything. She nodded at me and I nodded back before leaving. There was too much tension in that house, we would definitely fight again if I stayed.

I felt guilty for leaving my mother alone but I couldn't handle being there. I could feel the vein on my neck popping out and I could practically hear my heartbeats. I was so tired and angry and frustrated, I felt like I wanted to cry because of my desperation.

…

I was sprawled out on my couch, staring at the ceiling and shaking my legs in frustration. I would sigh and rub my face and groan while I kept thinking about how reckless my father was being. What he was doing was selfish. Didn't he think of Maribel and how this affected her? I knew that he said he did it for her but I had a hard time believing it.

I wondered where he was. I was sure he was gambling, but I wondered where he found the money. Maybe he borrowed from loan sharks again. How was he going to pay back? It only meant more trouble if we didn't find him soon. But my phone buzzing brought me out of my thoughts. I grabbed it to see that Brittany was calling me and I winced because she had texted me earlier but I had forgotten to reply to the message.

"Hello?" I answered.

"_Hey, honey._" She said softly with her sweet like honey voice. I could practically feel the tension going away from me and my eyes filled with tears. I didn't even know why I wanted to cry anymore. I closed my eyes and imagined the blonde being there, touching me and calming me in a way that only she could do it. I felt my heartbeats decreasing and going back to normal and I let out a shaky breath. "_San?_" She called again when I didn't answer and I sighed.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer earlier, I was kinda distracted." I mumbled and there was a brief silence.

"_Is everything ok?_" Brittany asked me.

"My dad's gone. He left a fucking note too." I said bitterly but then I winced. "I'm sorry, I'm just really angry right now. I don't want to drag you into this, it's unfair." I said.

"_Do you want to come over?_" She asked me and I frowned.

"Uh Britt, I just told you- " I started to say but she interrupted me.

"_Come here, tell me what's going on. We're waiting for you._" She said pointedly, letting me know that little Alice was waiting for me as well. "_She'll make you feel better, I promise._" She added then whispering and I sighed before agreeing. I figured the only way I could really relax it was if I was with the two blondes that held my heart.

…

"Oh honey." Brittany said softly when she opened the door and saw me. She tilted her head to the side sympathetically and pouted at me, my eyes were probably still red. She grabbed my hand and tugged me in the apartment before closing the door and hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and melted in her comforting embrace, letting the warmth that radiated from her body to soothe my upset state. To calm me down and take my worries away. She actually let me relax in her arms for as long as I wanted, to hide my face in the crook of her neck and smell her distinctive scent. "What happened?" She asked me after a while when I pulled back.

"He left." I said as the blonde guided me to the couch and sat me down. She sat next to me and put her arm around me, pulling me to lean against her. And I was glad for that because her touch was calming me as much as I could calm down at that moment. "My mom was asking me what happened between you and my dad but I didn't know if you wanted me to tell her or if you wanted to tell her yourself. Maybe she'll forget it and you won't have to tell her at all." I ranted and Brittany frowned at me.

"That's not the time to think about that, San." She said and I nodded slowly.

"Where's the kid?" I asked then, realizing that I hadn't seen her around.

"I think she has a surprise for you because when I told her that you'll come here she pushed me out of her room saying that I couldn't see." Brittany told me and I arched my eyebrows in curiosity.

"What surprise?" I wondered and the blonde shrugged, letting me know that she didn't know. I sighed.

"Did you call Matt?" She asked me then and grabbed my legs so she could drape them over her thighs. She was really strong, sometimes she made me wonder if I was weightless.

"Yes, my uncle and Matt are going to search for him." I said and she nodded at me. "I wanted to go too but my uncle didn't let me." I said frowning and Brittany sighed, kissing my forehead. But she didn't say anything, she waited for me to continue. "I don't think my dad's in the right state of mind, Britt. He wrote on the note that he was doing this so we'd stop worrying. Look at us being all carefree and happy." I said sarcastically and huffed. "He said that he was sorry too about everything, what he did to us and what he did to you." I continued but when Brittany was still silent I winced, because I was complaining for my father who was _alive _when both of her parents weren't. So I took my legs off of her and scooted a little away from her on the couch. "I'm sorry." I whispered and looked away from her, rubbing my forehead. I felt like I was doing everything wrong and that everything was my fault.

"San, don't compare our situations. It's only logical and natural and it makes absolute sense that you worry about him." Brittany told me, understanding what I was thinking. "At least I know where my parents are." She added expressionless, looking at me like everything was fine, making me frown. She proved to me once more that she still didn't fully comprehend their death. That what she was saying was something that she had to say, something she practiced for over the years. I didn't find it natural speaking about her dead parents without showing even a little bit of sadness. I knew that she could hide her feelings pretty well but I could see right through it. And at that moment it was even more obvious. "Probably in heaven." She whispered and relaxed on the couch.

"Yeah?" I asked. I wanted her to keep talking about them.

"My dad for sure. My mom was always the 'bad' parent, although we were pretty spoilt. Actually, my dad always made my mom seem the bad one because he always did whatever we told him. Just me, Anna was too young to have that right." She said, a sad smile almost ready to appear on her face. But she quickly cleared her throat and shifted her face back to expressionless. I sighed at her suddenly guarded behavior and reached forward to lean my elbows on my knees to rub my face in frustration. I did my best not to snap, Brittany didn't deserve it. I didn't want to push her, I knew I had to be satisfied with her opening up a little bit and telling me about that, but my tension wasn't helping. I also knew that if I snapped Brittany wouldn't just shut up and let me get angry at her. She would snap back and we would fight and I would know that it was my fault and she would be right. But just then little Alice came in the living room, causing my anger to vanish.

She was wearing, I assumed Brittany's, black pumps, a black sock only on her one foot. She was holding around her waist one of her mother's shorts and she was wearing a white tank top. What made my eyes widen though was a black thong that, where legs should be, were little Alice's arms. I turned to Brittany to see her looking at her daughter with wide eyes. She stood up and walked towards her.

"I don't even know where to start from." She said frowning. I sucked my lips, trying not to laugh. "How many times did I tell you that you're not allowed in my bedroom when I'm not there, Ali?" Brittany asked but didn't wait for her daughter to answer, who was going back and forth on her feet, glancing at me nervously every other second. "Is that butter?" She asked and touched Alice's blonde hair. Only then I noticed her attempt at wearing make-up. Lip gloss was all over her chin and cheeks, everywhere except her lips, and eye shadow on her eyebrows and forehead. I chuckled and Brittany turned to me frowning. I immediately cleared my throat though and stood up too.

"Why did you do this, Ali girl?" I asked and went to crouch in front of the little blonde.

"Cause I wanted to be pretty like mommy so you'll be my friend too." She said pouting and I arched my eyebrows in surprise.

"I am your friend, sweetheart." I said softly and pouted when the little blonde pouted at me.

"But mommy's your best friend." She said and turned to frown at Brittany before looking at me again.

"No, she isn't." I immediately said and looked up to find the tall blonde having an arched eyebrow at me. "She's just a special kind of friend." I shrugged. _The most special, _I thought.

"Special friend?" Alice asked and I nodded. "So _I _am your best friend?" She asked me then I nodded again.

"The bestest." I said and poked her tummy so she would giggle. I smiled and stood up straight.

"Alright. You're going to shower right now." Brittany said then and Alice went back to frowning at her mother.

"No." She whined and looked at me pleadingly. But I wasn't about to go against Brittany's word. Besides she was right, little Alice needed to shower. Her hair had butter all over it and her face looked like a paintball field.

"I'm not asking you, Ali. I'm telling you that you have to." Brittany said.

"I don't want to!" Alice screamed at the tall blonde and I widened my eyes in surprise at her rudeness towards her mother. But Brittany wasn't surprised at all, she was just angry. She bent down to grab Alice's arm and brought their faces just a few inches from each other's, a look on her face that would intimidate even me.

"I am your mother and you will respect me, Ali. You don't get to raise your voice at me. Do you understand?" She asked but the little blonde didn't say anything. "Do you understand?" Brittany asked again and Alice nodded once. "I didn't hear you." The tall blonde said.

"Yes." Alice said then, not looking at her mother.

"Good." Brittany said and let go of her daughter's arm while straightening up. She turned to look at me and sighed. She looked like she was sorry that this happened in front of me but I shrugged to let her know that it was fine and so she turned to her daughter again. "I'm going in my bedroom now, if it's a chaos in there I'm not gonna be happy." She said pointedly and the little blonde looked down at her feet, completely understanding what it meant when Brittany wasn't happy.

The tall blonde was obviously a strict parent. It didn't mean she was bad or irrational. She was right and she was strong enough to not give in at the pouting face that Alice was sporting. I knew I would. But that wouldn't be ideal, the kid would get the message that she could do whatever she wanted when she was pouting. If she was only three and started screaming at her mother, what would happen when she would be a teenager?

"I can help her shower?" I more asked than said and Brittany nodded letting out a long breath. She threw a last warning look at her daughter before leaving. "Ok." I breathed and picked up the little blonde, careful not to get any butter or make-up on me.

I made my way to the bathroom and let the little blonde down. She wasn't saying anything and I focused on doing this right. I took off her clothes, doing my best to ignore the images of Brittany wearing that thong when I was in a room with her daughter. I threw the clothes and shoes in a pile on the floor and picked up Alice to put her in the shower. I turned on the water and grabbed the shower head to check the temperature.

"Lean your head back." I said and Alice did as I told her. I wet her hair, careful not to get any water in her eyes. I had forgotten what was going on with my father but at that moment that it was quiet everything came back, the tension, the irritation, the worry. My feelings were mixed and it confused me, effectively making me angrier. I grabbed the shampoo and squirted some in my hand before starting to rub soft blonde hair so all the butter would be gone.

"Why are you sad?" Alice asked me suddenly and cupped my cheeks with her tiny wet hands, surprising me.

"I'm not sad, I'm worried." I said and then realized that I was talking to a three year old. "Because you think you have to be pretty to have friends. You don't have to honey, you have to love yourself just like you are." I told her, I knew it was deep for a kid but Alice was really smart. "Do you think your mommy's pretty?" I asked her and she nodded while wiping away the foam that fell on her cheeks. When her hair was clean I started carefully wiping away the make-up that was on her face. "You look so much like your mommy, you're the prettiest." I said and she smiled brightly at me. "Why are you mad at her though?" I asked her then and she shrugged.

"Because." She said and I frowned, both at her answer and because the eye shadow wasn't getting off.

"That's not a reason." I said.

"Because she's mad now and won't let me watch TV. She didn't say it but I know it." She told me frowning and I sighed.

"Well, if she told you that you're not allowed in her bedroom then she's right, sweetie." I said softly, not wanting to sound like I was scolding her. But she just nodded at me. "I think if you apologize to her then she won't be so mad." I said.

"Ok." She whispered.

"Ok." I echoed. I finished cleaning up her face and helped her clean up the rest of her tiny body.

"Are you gonna read me the rabbit and the turtle before bed?" She asked me, making me realize that it was night and it was late and my uncle still hadn't called. I had my phone with me, waiting for a call but nothing.

"Sure I will." I answered, not wanting to drag the kid in my distress. I turned off the water and turned around to find a towel. I grabbed one and turned back to dry off the little blonde. Then I draped the towel around her body and picked her up, making my way to her bedroom.

I sat her on her bed and started asking her where her clothes and underwear were and she was answering, helping me dress her up. Then I sat beside her on the bed and turned her so her back would be to me and I started combing her blonde hair.

I couldn't help but wonder where my father would sleep that night if Mario and Matt don't find him. Was he going to be like those homeless people, sleeping on benches at the parks and begging for someone to give them something to eat? But he had a house and a family that, wanting to or not, cared about him.

I remembered when he had to dress me up one day and take me to school and he had no idea what to do with my clothes and my hair. At that moment I understood how he must had felt. He wasn't a bad father, but I had lost him when he started gambling. And by leaving us he confirmed to me that I would never get him back. I swallowed thickly and frowned to force my tears away just in time for Brittany to come in Alice's room.

"Everything ok?" She asked looking between her daughter and me. She lingered her gaze on my eyes so I nodded, letting her know that everything was fine. I finished the braid on soft blonde hair and leaned down to kiss the top of Alice's head.

"Do you have something to do?" I whispered at her and she turned to me pouting. I nodded at her encouragingly and she took a deep breath before turning to see her mother. Brittany was leaning against the doorframe and had her arms crossed in front of her chest. She didn't seem to be angry anymore. I gently nudged the little blonde's back and watched as she reluctantly stood up and slowly made her way towards her mother. She was looking up at her hesitantly and Brittany helped her by crouching down so they were at eye-level.

"I'm sorry." Little Alice whispered and Brittany arched her eyebrows at her daughter.

"What?" She asked and side-eyed her daughter. I was sure she heard her but she wanted Alice to repeat her apology.

"I'm sorry I made a mess and shouted." Alice said louder and Brittany nodded. She looked at me before looking back at her daughter.

"Apology accepted." She said.

"I love you." Little Alice immediately said and fell in her mother's arms.

"I love you too." Brittany said and hugged her back for a few seconds, making me feel all warm inside at their interaction, before the little blonde pulled back.

"Tana will read me the rabbit and the turtle." She said and turned to come back to bed. But she only took two steps before turning to go back to her mother, who was still crouching, to kiss her cheek sloppily and giggle when Brittany scrunched her face. She quickly ran to get away before her mother could catch her and came to crawl on her bed and fall face first on her pillow.

"Alright then, I'll leave you two alone." Brittany said and stood up, making my heart melt because not only she told me that she trusted me with her daughter but she showed me too. By letting me to help her shower and then putting her to bed. She came to kiss her daughter's head and the two exchanged 'goodnights' before Brittany squeezing my arm and leaving.

"Where's the book?" I asked the little blonde and she seemed to be thinking about it.

"I don't want the rabbit and the turtle. I want you to tell me a story." She said while she shuffled on the bed so she would rest her head on my thighs. I sighed and leaned my back on the headboard.

"Ok." I breathed and tried to remember a story from when I was a kid. But before I could start the little blonde spoke up again.

"Let's sleep." She said and I chuckled and the consistency of a three-year-old's thinking process. I shuffled down the bed so the little blonde could rest her head on my open arm and I sighed. "Night night, Tana. I love you too like mommy." She told me then, like she was trying to reassure me, effectively making my heart melt and a small smile to take over my face.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight." I whispered. I felt my eyes closing and the tiredness of the whole day finally overtaking me.

I turned on my side and hugged properly Alice against my chest. She was so small and fragile, she made a weird feeling of protectiveness overtake me. I felt like I had a new purpose in life, to keep this angel in my arms safe. I didn't know from what, I just felt the need to do that. So with that thought, the sleep took over me as well.

…

I woke up startled. My pocket was buzzing and it took me a few seconds to realize that it was my phone and that I was in Alice's bed. I quickly got up, careful not to wake her up, and put the railings on the bed before leaving the room and closing the door. I immediately pulled out the phone to see that my uncle was calling me. My heart started beating faster inside my chest and I quickly answered the phone.

"Did you find him?" I asked, not bothering with greetings.

"_Yes._" He said and I let out a long breath.

"Are you going home?" I asked then. There was a brief silence before Mario started speaking again.

"_We're at the hospital._" He told me and I blinked a couple of times.

"Hospital?" I asked to confirm that I heard right. When he said 'yes' I frowned. "Why?" I wondered.

"_Just come here, Santana._" Mario said and told me which hospital before hanging up. I let out a shaky breath and turned to leave.

When I reached the living room I found Brittany on the couch, typing on her laptop, and I realized that I would leave without telling her, if she wasn't there. She startled by my fast movements and looked at me with wide eyes. "He's at the hospital. It's serious, Britt. If he had just cut his hand they wouldn't tell me to go there." I told her and she closed the laptop and stood up to come to me.

"Ok. Go ahead and I'll come find you." She told me and I frowned.

"But Britt, the kid." I said and gestured towards Alice's bedroom.

"I'll call Anna." She said and pushed me towards the door. I looked down at my phone to see that it was one in the morning.

"But it's late." I said while opening the door and Brittany rolled her eyes.

"It's fine, baby. Just go." She said and I sighed before cupping her cheeks and kissing her. Because it had been too long since I last kissed her and I had missed her. She kissed me back for a few seconds but then she pulled back and pushed me out of the door, saying she'll come later to find us. And so I left Brittany's apartment and went at the hospital.

…

"Where is he?" I asked when I spotted Mario and Matt sitting at chairs in the corridor of the hospital. When my uncle heard me he immediately stood up and came to me.

"Come, sit." He told me and grabbed my arm to guide me towards a chair but I shrugged so he would let go.

"I don't want to sit. What the hell is going on?" I asked exasperated. I was sure I wouldn't be able to handle one more thing.

"Santana, Antonio had a stroke." He told me and I swallowed thickly.

"Ok." I said slowly, not sure what that meant.

"The doctor said that it's because of the stress and the fact that he was drunk made it worse." He said and I frowned.

"Is he awake?" I asked and looked around like he would be there. When I looked back at my uncle he was looking at his feet. "Tio?" I called and he glanced up so I could see his red eyes. That was probably the first time that I saw tears in my uncle's eyes. He shook his head at me.

"I'm so sorry." He told me.

"I don't understand." I said.

"He isn't gonna wake up." He told me and I sucked my lips. "He's brain dead." He said and I stared at him, not being able to fully realize what was going on.

"But why?" I asked.

"I told you, he had a stroke." He said again and rubbed his face.

"I don't understand. He had a stroke because we wanted him to stop gambling?" I asked and my uncle shrugged. "People wake up from a coma all the time." I said frowning and my uncle sighed.

"He isn't in a coma. He's brain dead." He told me again.

"What's the fucking difference?" I snapped and my uncle grabbed my arms and fixed me with a serious look.

"The difference is that he can't never wake up, Santanita." He told me and my eyes finally filled with tears.

"Where is he?" I asked again and my uncle gestured towards a door. "Can I go in there?" I asked and he nodded. So I took a deep breath and slowly made my way towards the white closed door.

When I opened the door the only thing that I could see was the body that was lying on the bed and the only thing that I could hear was the monitor with my dad's steady heartbeats. I slowly approached the bed and grabbed his hand so I could sit by his side on the bed. I knew he couldn't hear me and I knew he could never hear me again.

His face looked so relaxed and peaceful. I brought up one hand and cupped his cheek, trying to remember when it was the last time that I touched him like that. When it was the last time that I touched him at all, the last time that I hugged him and the last time that I told him that I loved him. Because I did love him, he was my father.

"I'm sorry." I told him and then chuckled humorlessly. "I don't know what I'm apologizing for, probably for everything that happened." I said and sniffled. I hadn't realized that I started crying. "I hope you find your peace where you're going papi. I hope you'll finally be able to rest." I said as more tears run down my cheeks. "I choose to believe that you meant it when you said that you were sorry about everything and I wanted to tell you that I forgive you." I said and leaned down to kiss his forehead. I lingered there, knowing it would be the last time that I was touching him. "I was missing you already but now I think I'll miss you even more." I said then and choked back a sob. "Because I won't be able to see your face or hear your voice. Please don't forget us, this is gonna be so hard for mami." I stood up and placed his hand on the bed again before leaning down to kiss him on his cheek. "I love you and I guess I'll see you again soon." I whispered and turned to leave the room.

When I got out I saw that Maribel and Brittany had come as well. My blonde girlfriend immediately came to me.

"He's- " I started to say but she shushed me.

"I know, honey. I'm so sorry." She told me and I hugged her tightly. Because I was glad that she was there. Brittany pulled back and I turned to see that Maribel was looking at me with eyes filled with tears. I opened my arms and she fell into them, hugging me tightly.

"It's all over." I whispered at her and she choked a sob.

"Maribel." Mario called and she pulled back to turn to him. "Go." He said and gestured towards my father's room. I figured that after that they would turn off the machines that supported my father. But I didn't want to see that. Brittany understood that because she was looking at me like she wanted to reach out and grab me but she didn't. She just let me turn around and leave.

I left the hospital and the parking lot and I started running down the street. I didn't know why I did that. I just felt the need. I also didn't know where I was going, I only knew what I was running away from. And that was the constant worry of my father's well being. Because I knew that now he would be alright.

I started crying and running faster. I could feel my tears drying on my cheeks but new ones would appear to wet them again. I didn't know how to feel. I was relieved, because he wouldn't have to suffer anymore but I was sad as well because I would never see him again. And so I cried more. They were tears of relief and sadness for an inglorious end. The end of a war that implies peace, but the price was my father's life.

* * *

A.N.: Thank you for your reviews, follows and favorites. Maybe this chapter was the hardest to write so far, let me know what you think.


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